The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that a technical delegation arrived in Saudi Arabia to reopen the embassy in Riyadh.
After more than seven years of severed relations, the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers met in Beijing during the first official meeting between the two countries top diplomatic officials.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said in a statement that an Iranian technical team arrived in Riyadh, in a new step in line with the implementation of the agreement between Tehran and Riyadh to resume official relations and diplomatic activities of the political and consular representations between the two countries.
Kanaani explained that the Iranian delegation would take necessary action in two working groups in Riyadh and Jeddah to launch the Embassy, Consulate General, and the permanent diplomatic mission of the country at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
Reuters reported that heavy gates of the Iranian embassy's compound were open in Riyadh with a team inspecting its premises. A white truck was seen arriving at the gate.
The diplomatic mission opened hours after the Iranian foreign ministry said a technical delegation had arrived in the Kingdom.
It is the first Iranian official visit to Saudi Arabia, since the visit of Iranian Hajj officials to the Kingdom, in December 2019, a Saudi official told AFP.
The mission had been closed since Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was stormed.
The Iranian visit comes after a Saudi delegation arrived in Tehran last Saturday to discuss mechanisms for reopening the Kingdom's representations in Tehran and Mashhad.
Kanaani stated that the Saudi technical delegation that arrived in Tehran on Saturday would travel to Mashhad on Thursday, noting that Tehran would try to reopen and launch its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia before this year's Hajj season.
Director General of Iran's Foreign Ministry Office for Persian Gulf Affairs Alireza Enayati stressed that Tehran was trying to reopen the Iranian Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate in Jeddah before the Hajj season.
Enayati, a candidate for the post of ambassador in Riyadh, said that opening the two embassies depends on the two countries plans and the implemented arrangements.
IRNA news agency stated in an article that the air travel agreement and flight resumption between the two countries are on the agenda of the Iranian delegation.
The agency stressed that the two countries exchange diplomatic delegations to support cooperation in addressing the challenges of the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia and Iran are important and influential countries in West Asia and the Middle East region, and the warm and tension-free relations between them are among the most important factors of regional stability, said IRNA.
The agency said that ending the path that has harmed the bilateral ties was among the most critical reasons for Tehran and Riyadh's determination to restore and accelerate relations.
