A senior Iranian official said that Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz had invited the country’s President Ebrahim Raisi to visit the capital Riyadh.
Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian President’s deputy chief of staff for political affairs, said on Twitter today that the invitation was made in a letter from King Salman bin Abdulaziz to President Raisi.
In the letter, the King of Saudi Arabia also praised the new agreement reached “between the two brothers” and called for closer cooperation on economic and regional issues.
According to Jamshidi, President Raisi welcomed the invitation, and affirmed that Iran is ready to expand cooperation with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz attends an online cabinet meeting in 2020. Photo: Reuters.
Iran and Saudi Arabia on March 10 announced the resumption of relations with China, which is acting as a mediator for negotiations between the two countries.
Iran, a country with a large Shiite population, and Saudi Arabia, where the dominant Sunni branch of Islam is at odds, have been at odds for years. The two countries support opposing sides in conflicts in Syria, Yemen and elsewhere.
Saudi Arabia executed the Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr in 2016. Shia Muslims in Iran then protested and attacked the Saudi diplomatic mission, which caused the two countries to sever diplomatic relations. Iran and Saudi Arabia then held talks in Iraq, Oman and China before resuming relations.
Vu Hoang (Theo AFP)