Hossein Amir-Abdollahian\u2019s trip marks ongoing efforts to strengthen ties and address regional and international issues
\nTEHRAN
\nIranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is expected Thursday in Riyadh, his first official Saudi trip since a landmark rapprochement in March, state media reported.
\nThe one-day visit \u201cis focusing on bilateral ties, regional and international issues\u201d, said IRIB state broadcaster.
\nIt reported early Thursday that Amir-Abdollahian \u201cwill leave Tehran for Riyadh in a few hours\u201d.
\nIran and Saudi Arabia had severed ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic republic were attacked during protests over Riyadh\u2019s execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. A Chinese-brokered deal announced in March saw the long-time rivals agreeing to restore diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies.
\nIn June, Prince Faisal bin Farhan became the first Saudi foreign minister to travel to Iran since 2006.
\nEarlier that month Iran had reopened its embassy in Riyadh with a flag-raising ceremony.
\nAnd in another first since bilateral ties were restored, Iranian state media reported on Wednesday that military officials from both countries met in Moscow on the sidelines of a security conference.
\nAmir-Abdollahian has said this week that Iran\u2019s news ambassador to Saudi, Alireza Enayati, \u201cwill accompany\u201d on Thursday\u2019s visit to \u201cofficially start his mission\u201d. On August 9, Iran said the Saudi embassy in Tehran had begun operations but Riyadh has yet confirm.
\nIran and Saudi Arabia have backed opposing sides in conflicts across the Middle East for years. Iran has in recent months been at odds with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over a disputed gas field. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait claim \u201csole ownership\u201d to the field — known as Arash in Iran and Dorra in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia — with Tehran warning it would \u201cpursue its right\u201d to the offshore zone if negotiations fail.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian\u2019s trip marks ongoing efforts to strengthen ties and address regional and international issues TEHRAN Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is expected Thursday in Riyadh, his first official Saudi trip since a landmark rapprochement in March, state media reported. The one-day visit \u201cis focusing on bilateral ties, regional and international issues\u201d, said IRIB state […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":350019,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-349993","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n