Tehran Seeks to Reopen Embassy in Riyadh before Hajj Season

Enayati is likely to assume the position of ambassador to Saudi Arabia. (IRNA)
Enayati is likely to assume the position of ambassador to Saudi Arabia. (IRNA)
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Tehran Seeks to Reopen Embassy in Riyadh before Hajj Season

Enayati is likely to assume the position of ambassador to Saudi Arabia. (IRNA)
Enayati is likely to assume the position of ambassador to Saudi Arabia. (IRNA)

Director of the GCC Affairs Department Alireza Enayati at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Iran was making efforts to reopen its embassy in Riyadh and its consulate in Jeddah before the Hajj season.

For his part, Iranian Minister of Economy Ehsan Khandozi said that he intends to make a working visit to Jeddah, in mid-May to discuss means to benefit from the financing capabilities of the Islamic Development Bank.

The Iranian official pointed to the arrival of a Saudi diplomatic technical team in Tehran earlier this week, within the framework of the two countries’ agreement to reopen embassies and consulates within two months.

In an interview published by the state-run ISNA news agency on Tuesday, Enayati said: “Based on information received from the Saudi brothers, this delegation, after returning to Riyadh, will take measures to reopen the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad.”

The state agency cited reports about the possibility of naming Enayati as ambassador to Riyadh. The official took part in the Saudi-Iranian rounds of talks in Iraq and China, which ended with an agreement to resume relations on March 10.

The Iranian diplomat noted that his country was seeking to reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia before the Hajj season.

“We are trying to reopen the embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah before the Hajj season,” he stated.

On the other hand, the IRGC-Fars news agency reported that Iranian Minister of Economy Ehsan Khandozi intends to conduct a working visit to Jeddah, in mid-May, “to discuss benefiting from the financing capabilities of the Islamic Development Bank.”

The minister said that the establishment of a joint Iranian-Saudi Chamber of Commerce was on the agenda, adding that the Iranian Trade Promotion Organization was working on a roadmap for bilateral cooperation, targeting an economic exchange worth one billion dollars.



Netanyahu Says ‘We Can Finish the Job’ against Iran after Meeting Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025. (Reuters)
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Netanyahu Says ‘We Can Finish the Job’ against Iran after Meeting Rubio

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025. (Reuters)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands during a press conference at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, February 16, 2025. (Reuters)

Israel and the United States are determined to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions and its "aggression" in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday after meeting US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Speaking after meeting Rubio in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said they had held a "very productive discussion" on a number of issues, "none more important than Iran".

"Israel and America stand shoulder to shoulder in countering the threat of Iran," he said. "We agreed that the mullahs must not have nuclear weapons and also agreed that Iran's aggression in the region must be rolled back."

Rubio said: "Behind every terrorist group, behind every act of violence, behind every destabilizing activity, behind everything that threatens peace and stability for the millions of people that call this region home is Iran."

Israeli-Iranian enmity stretches back decades through a history of clandestine wars and attacks by land, sea, air and cyberspace.

Iran, which says it is enriching uranium for peaceful purposes, has also backed armed groups across the Middle East that describe themselves as the "Axis of Resistance" to Israel and US influence in the region.

The Axis includes not only Hamas, the Palestinian group that ignited the Gaza war by attacking Israel in October 2023, but also the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, the Houthi militias in Yemen, various Shiite armed groups in Iraq and Syria.

Over the 16 months since the Gaza war erupted, Israel has assassinated top leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah and Israel and Iran have exchanged limited retaliatory attacks.

Netanyahu said Israel had dealt a "mighty blow" to Iran since the start of the war in Gaza and said that with the support of US President Donald Trump "I have no doubt we can and will finish the job".

Thanking Rubio for "unequivocal backing" for Israel's policy in Gaza, Netanyahu said Israel and the United States under Trump shared a common strategy in the Palestinian enclave, where a fragile ceasefire is in effect.

"I want to assure everyone who's now listening to us, President Trump and I are working in full cooperation and coordination between us," he said.