Saudi Arabia, Iran agree to resume diplomatic relations and reopen embassies

CAIRO – 10 March 2023: Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed on Friday to resume their diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies and missions within two months after years of tensions in response to an initiative by Chinese President Xi Jinping, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have reached an agreement including the affirmation of the respect for the sovereignty of states and the non-interference in the domestic affairs of their countries.

They also agreed on the need for the foreign ministers of both countries to meet in order to arrange for the return of their ambassadors and hold discussions on means of fostering the bilateral relations.

Their agreement also includes implementing the Security Cooperation Agreement, which was signed in 2001 and the General Agreement for Cooperation in the Fields of Economy, Trade, Investment, Technology, Science, Culture, Sports, and Youth, which was signed in 1998.

All of Saudi Arabia, Iran, and China have also voiced their keenness to make utmost efforts towards strengthening regional and international peace and security.

Based on the agreement between the leaderships of the three countries, China will host and sponsor the talks between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

This comes based on their “shared desire to resolve the disagreements between them through dialogue and diplomacy and in light of their brotherly ties; adhering to the principles and objectives of Charters of the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and international conventions and norms,” SPA added.

The agreements between Saudi Arabia and Iran comes after a round of talks ongoing since 6 March in Beijing between Saudi Arabia’s National Security Council adviser Mosaed Bin Mohammad Al-Aiban, Iranian National Security Council, and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Diplomatic relations between Riyadh and Tehran had been severed since the storming of Saudi Embassy in Iran by Iranian protesters following the kingdom's execution of Shiite Cleric Nimr Al-Nimr in 2016.