Ghasemi: A Saudi delegation will visit Iran after the Hajj ceremony

On Sunday, September 3, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that a travel visa and flight permit for a Saudi delegation to visit their diplomatic facilities in Iran have been issued, and this visit will likely take place after the Hajj ceremony. Bahram Ghasemi stated that this delegation is 'only' visiting the Saudi diplomatic buildings in Iran 'because these buildings have been vacant since the severance of relations between the two countries.' He also mentioned that the Saudi delegation will travel to Iran on a private flight, for which the permit has also been issued. Ghasemi dismissed reports from some media about compensation payments to Saudi Arabia as 'baseless and erroneous,' adding that no discussions on this matter have occurred between the two countries so far. He announced that an Iranian delegation will also visit the Islamic Republic's diplomatic facilities in Saudi Arabia, with their visas issued through Oman. A Kuwaiti newspaper reported on Saturday, September 2, citing 'an informed Iranian source,' about the visit of a Saudi diplomatic delegation to Tehran, one day after Eid al-Adha. Previously, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran's Foreign Minister, had announced on September 1 that the diplomatic delegations of Iran and Saudi Arabia would visit their embassies in both countries after the Hajj ceremony. Meanwhile, Hossein Jaberi Ansari, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister, had reported on June 18 about a preliminary agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia for visiting their embassies. Diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh were severed in January 2016 following the execution of a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia and the violent protests against Saudi diplomatic facilities in Tehran and Mashhad. The two countries have also accused each other of interfering in their internal affairs and in some regional countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, allegations that have been denied by the other side. The verbal clashes between officials of the two countries intensified following the recent visit of U.S. President Donald Trump to Saudi Arabia. However, Iranian media reported on July 31 that the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia embraced and had a brief conversation at the executive committee meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul. According to reports, Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, approached Mohammad Javad Zarif and 'after embracing' him, they talked. This year, 86,500 Iranian pilgrims participated in the Hajj ceremony. Iranian pilgrims last attended the Hajj in 2015, when over 2,000 people lost their lives due to overcrowding in the Mina area, including more than 460 Iranians. Conflicts in Syria and Yemen have been among the most significant reasons for the deterioration of relations between the two countries in recent years. Iran supports the government of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, while Saudi Arabia is one of the main supporters of a group of rebels in that country. In Yemen, the situation is reversed, as the Arab coalition led by Riyadh has conducted airstrikes against the Houthi rebels to restore power to Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi, while Iranian officials support the Houthi rebels.