Officials from Saudi Arabia arrive in Iran to discuss restarting diplomatic operations

Tehran: Saudi diplomats have arrived in Iran to discuss strategies to reopen Riyadh's embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad, the Saudi foreign ministry announced on Saturday.

In March, after China helped broker a deal to mend fences between the two nations, Iran and Saudi Arabia decided to patch things up diplomatically and reopen their diplomatic missions.

Following Saudi Arabia's severing of ties with Iran in 2016, the agreement was mediated by Chinese President Xi Jinping, Arab News reported.

According to the Saudi foreign ministry, the visit on Saturday was a part of "implementing the tripartite agreement" reached between the two countries on March 10.

“The two sides emphasised the importance of following up on the implementation of the Beijing Agreement and its activation in a way that expands mutual trust and the fields of cooperation and helps create security, stability and prosperity in the region,” a joint statement said.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan of Saudi Arabia and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian of Iran made a commitment to bringing security and stability to the unstable Gulf area during their meeting on Thursday in Beijing.