Iran will reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday after a seven-year closure, according to Tehran and a diplomatic source, completing a March rapprochement agreement mediated by China.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Iran in 2016 as a result of attacks on its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the northwestern city of Mashhad during protests over the execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
Alireza Enayati, who previously served as Iran’s ambassador to Kuwait, will return to Saudi Arabia to oversee Iran’s diplomatic mission, which was expelled by Saudi authorities.
Monday’s statement by Nasser Kanani, spokesman for Tehran’s foreign ministry, confirmed earlier remarks by a diplomatic source in Riyadh.
Kanani stated that on Tuesday and Wednesday, Iran’s embassy in Riyadh, consulate in Jeddah, and representative office to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will reopen.
Earlier, the diplomatic source had told AFP that the inauguration “will occur on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT) in the presence of the newly appointed Iranian ambassador” to Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia has yet to confirm the reopening date of its embassy in Tehran or its ambassadorial nominee.
Last month, Iranian media identified Enayati as the Islamic Republic’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
According to Iranian reports, he had previously served as assistant to the foreign minister and director general of Gulf affairs at the foreign ministry.
On March 10, after years of conflict, the two major Middle Eastern powers unexpectedly signed a reconciliation agreement in China.
Since then, Saudi Arabia has reestablished ties with Tehran ally Syria and intensified its peace efforts in Yemen, where it has led a military coalition for years against Houthi rebels sponsored by Iran.
Iran and Saudi Arabia backed opposing factions in Middle Eastern conflict zones for years before reconciling.
