The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Saudi Arabia Will Reopen This Week

The spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Iranian embassy in Riyadh will reopen this week. Nasser Kanani, the spokesperson, stated on Monday that 'in completion of the implementation of bilateral agreements between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia to resume relations between the two countries,' the Iranian embassy in Saudi Arabia, the Iranian consulate in Jeddah, and Iran's permanent representation to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will officially reopen on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister, was briefed on the latest status and planning for the reopening of the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah during a phone call with the acting head of the Iranian embassy in Riyadh on Sunday. Following the attack by government-affiliated forces on the Saudi embassy and consulate in Tehran and Mashhad in 2016, which was in protest against the execution of 'Sheikh Nimr,' Riyadh severed its diplomatic relations with Tehran. However, relations between the two regional rivals were resumed last March with the mediation of China and President Xi Jinping, and since then, several meetings have taken place between officials from both countries. Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor at the White House, has described the establishment of diplomacy between Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of a de-escalation process.