New Saudi ambassador to Iran starts mission
ERBIL, KRI, Iraq (North Press) – New Saudi ambassador to Tehran, Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi, presented on Sunday his credentials to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, representing his country as the first ambassador to Iran since the resumption of relations between the two countries.
Al-Anzi met with Amirabdollahian and presented a copy of his credentials. The meeting also discussed some bilateral and regional issues.
Ending years of tension, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and China released a trilateral statement, announcing resuming ties between Iran and Saudi.
The two regional rivals back opposite sides in the ongoing wars in Yemen, Syria and others.
Saudi Arabia cut off relations with Iran in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in response to Saudi Arabia executing Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.
However, despite the policy of problem-solving adopted by both parties, a new dispute emerged in early August when Saudi Arabia and Kuwait reaffirmed their shared rights to the natural resources in the Dorra gas field in the Arabian Gulf.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait renewed their invitation to Iran to enter into negotiations regarding the eastern borders of the divided maritime area, with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait representing one negotiating party and Iran representing the other.
The recent dispute over a gas field in the Arabian Gulf posed an early challenge to the Chinese-mediated agreement to reconcile the regional rivals, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Al-Anzi is the first Saudi ambassador to Iran since the resumption of diplomatic relations. He arrived in Tehran on September 5 to begin his new mission there.