Iranian president invited to visit Saudi Arabia

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi received, this Sunday, an invitation from King Salman of Saudi Arabia to visit Riyadh to consolidate and seal the rapprochement between the two countries, announced an Iranian presidential official.

“In a letter to President Raisi, King Salman of Saudi Arabia welcomed the agreement reached between the two sister countries, invited him to Riyadh and called for strong economic and regional cooperation. Raissi welcomed the invitation”, wrote on Twitter the his deputy chief of staff, Mohammad Jamshidi.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said that “three locations” had been suggested “to hold this meeting”, without specifying details.

The announcement follows Tehran and Riyadh’s March 11 decision to restore diplomatic ties within two months of talks in China.

Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran cut ties in 2016 after protesters in the Islamic Republic attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

The agreement between the two rival Middle Eastern powers includes the mutual reopening of embassies, as well as a commitment by each of them to respect the sovereignty of the other and not to interfere in their “internal affairs”.

In support of Riyadh, other Gulf countries including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain had reduced their diplomatic ties with Tehran.

In recent months, the UAE and Kuwait have resumed their diplomatic relations with Iran.