More than 34,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since war broke out
world1 day ago
An Iranian delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday to pave the way for reopening diplomatic missions as the Gulf rivals prepare to normalise relations, seven years after an acrimonious split.
The announcement came just days after a Saudi delegation made a similar visit to Tehran hot on the heels of a historic meeting in China between the two governments' foreign ministers who vowed to bring stability to the region.
"The Iranian delegation arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday to visit and reopen the Iranian embassy and consulate in accordance with the recent agreement between the two countries," Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.
"One team is due to to travel to Jeddah to prepare for the reopening of Iran's consulate there and its representation in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, while the other will remain in Riyadh to reopen the embassy," IRNA added.
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi has been invited to Saudi Arabia, according to Tehran, in what would be the first visit of its kind since Mohammad Khatami went in 1999.
The flurry of diplomatic activity follows last month's landmark, Chinese-brokered announcement that Iran and Saudi Arabia, who have backed opposing sides in conflicts around the Middle East, would work towards resuming ties.
Riyadh broke off relations in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following the execution of a Saudi cleric.
Since the March 10 announcement, the two countries' foreign ministers have met in China and a Saudi "technical delegation" met Iran's chief of protocol in Tehran last week, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.
ALSO READ:
More than 34,000 people have been killed in the Palestinian territory since war broke out
world1 day ago
Protest organizers deny accusations of anti-Semitism, arguing that their actions are aimed at the Israeli government
world2 days ago
UK foreign secretary says the proposal includes 40-day pause in fighting and release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners and Israeli hostages
world2 days ago
The students' demands range from a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas to calls for universities to stop investing in Israeli enterprises
world2 days ago
Prior to halting operations, WCK had distributed more than 43 million meals in Gaza since October
world3 days ago
Freshly rested Ukrainian brigades were being rotated in those areas to replace units that had suffered losses
world3 days ago
This was following a Reuters report that some senior US officials did not find Israel's assurances credible
world3 days ago
Due to the recent holidays to mark Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, students received extended leave, including for the heat alert
world3 days ago