Iran’s embassy in Riyadh opens gates for first time in years

RIYADH: Iran’s embassy in Saudi Arabia reopened its gates on Wednesday for the first time in seven years, a witness said, under a deal to re-establish ties that could ease a long-standing rivalry that has helped fuel conflicts around the Middle East. The heavy gates of the Iranian embassy’s compound were open in Riyadh with a team inspecting its premises. A white truck was seen arriving at the gate.

The diplomatic mission opened hours after the Iranian foreign ministry said a technical delegation arrived in the kingdom.

“The Iranian delegation will take the necessary measures in Riyadh and Jeddah to set up the embassy and consulate general,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said in a statement. The mission had been closed since Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was stormed during a dispute between the two countries over Riyadh’s execution of a cleric. The kingdom subsequently asked Iranian diplomats to leave within 48 hours while it evacuated its embassy staff from Tehran.

The relationship had begun worsening a year earlier after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in Yemen’s war, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement had ousted a Saudi-backed government and taken over the capital Sanaa. Both countries’ foreign ministers met in Beijing earlier this month for the first formal gathering of their top diplomats.

Saudi officials also arrived in Iran to discuss procedures for reopening Riyadh’s embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad, the Saudi foreign ministry said on Saturday.