Top Saudi, Iranian diplomats meet in China
The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing on Thursday, Chinese state media reported, marking another sign of diplomatic rapprochement between the regional rivals.
The meeting between Iran’s Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Saudi Arabia’s Faisal bin Farhan is the first by the top envoys in more than seven years.
In a deal brokered by China, Shiite-majority Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia agreed in March to re-establish diplomatic ties after years of hostility, as both countries vie for political and military influence in the Middle East.
The talks in Beijing were not formally announced, and details of what the ministers discussed were not immediately released.
It is, however, meant to lower tension ahead of the reopening of the countries’ embassies soon.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi recently said he received an invitation from Saudi Arabia’s King Salman to visit the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran following an attack by Iranian Islamists on the Saudi embassy in Tehran in 2016.
Both countries have faced off over regional proxy conflicts, including in Syria and Yemen.
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