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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)
    London, Tehran - Asharq Al-Awsat
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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.

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NKorea's Kim Threatens to Destroy South with Nuclear Strikes if Provoked

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the training base of the special operations unit of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in an undisclosed location in the west of North Korea, 02 October 2024 (issued 04 October 2024). EPA/KCNA
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the training base of the special operations unit of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in an undisclosed location in the west of North Korea, 02 October 2024 (issued 04 October 2024). EPA/KCNA
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NKorea's Kim Threatens to Destroy South with Nuclear Strikes if Provoked

A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the training base of the special operations unit of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in an undisclosed location in the west of North Korea, 02 October 2024 (issued 04 October 2024). EPA/KCNA
A photo released by the official North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspecting the training base of the special operations unit of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in an undisclosed location in the west of North Korea, 02 October 2024 (issued 04 October 2024). EPA/KCNA

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened to use nuclear weapons and destroy South Korea permanently if provoked, state media reported Friday, after the South’s leader warned that Kim’s regime would collapse if he attempted to use nuclear arms.

During a visit to a special operation forces unit on Wednesday, Kim said his military “would use without hesitation all the offensive forces it possesses, including nuclear weapons,” if South Korea attempts to use armed forces encroaching upon the sovereignty of North Korea, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.
“If such a situation comes, the permanent existence of Seoul and the Republic of Korea would be impossible,” Kim said, using South Korea’s official name.
Kim’s statement was a response to South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol’s speech at his country’s Armed Forces Day on Tuesday. Unveiling South Korea’s most powerful Hyunmoo-5 ballistic missile and other conventional weapons that could target North Korea, Yoon said the day that North Korea tries to use nuclear weapons would be the end of the Kim government because Kim would face “the resolute and overwhelming response” of the South Korean-US alliance.
According to The Associated Press, Kim responded that Yoon’s address fully betrayed his “bellicose temerity” and showed “the security uneasiness and irritating psychology of the puppet forces.”
In a derisive comment, Kim called Yoon "an abnormal man,” saying that “the puppet Yoon bragged about an overwhelming counteraction of military muscle at the doorstep of a state that possesses nuclear weapons.” On Thursday, Kim’s sister and senior official, Kim Yo Jong, also ridiculed South Korea's showcasing of the Hyunmoo-5 missile, saying there there’s no way for South Korea to counter the North Korea’s nuclear forces with conventional weapons.
On Friday, South Korea’s military said North Korea was again flying balloons likely carrying trash across the border into South Korea. Since late May, North Korea has launched thousands of rubbish-carrying balloons toward South Korea, prompting South Korea to resume anti-Pyongyang propaganda loudspeaker broadcasts at border areas.