Saudi defence minister visits Tehran ahead of Iran-US talks

Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman arrived in Tehran on Thursday for meetings with officials in a visit ahead of weekend talks between Iran and the United States over the Iranian nuclear programme.

The defence minister delivered a message from Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, Iran's state media reported without giving further details about the content of the message.

Iran and the US are set to hold a second round of talks in Rome this weekend about Tehran's disputed uranium enrichment programme.

"Our belief is that the relationship between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Saudi Arabia is beneficial for both countries," Iranian state media cited Khamenei as saying in the meeting. Khamenei voiced Tehran's readiness to overcome obstacles in the way of improving ties with Riyadh.

Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed in a 2023 deal brokered by China to re-establish relations after years of hostility that had threatened stability and security in the Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria.

Saudi Arabia welcomed Iran's nuclear talks with the US, saying it supported efforts to resolve regional and international disputes, in a statement published by the country's official news agency on Saturday.

"Ties between the Saudi and Iranian armed forces have been improving since the Beijing agreement," Iran's armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri said after meeting the Saudi minister in Tehran, according to Iranian state media.