Iran set to reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia after seven-year hiatus

Iran is set to reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday following a seven-year closure, Tehran and a diplomatic source have said, sealing a Chinese-brokered rapprochement deal announced in March.

Tehran's foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani announced the reopening in a statement on Monday, confirming earlier comments by a diplomatic source in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the northwestern city of Mashhad were attacked during protests over Riyadh's execution of Shia cleric Nimr al Nimr.

Iran's diplomatic mission, which was expelled by Saudi authorities, will return under the leadership of Alireza Enayati, who previously served as Iran's ambassador to Kuwait.

Iran's embassy in Riyadh, its consulate in Jeddah and its representative office to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) "will be officially reopened on Tuesday and Wednesday", Kanani said.

The diplomatic source had earlier told AFP that the opening "will take place Tuesday at 6:00 pm local time (1500 GMT) with the presence of the newly appointed Iranian ambassador" to Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia has yet to confirm when it will reopen its embassy in Tehran or its pick for ambassador.

Surprise reconciliation

Iranian media had named Enayati as the Islamic Republic's Saudi envoy last month.

He had previously served as assistant to the foreign minister and director general of Gulf affairs at the foreign ministry, according to Iranian reports.

Even before the execution of the Shia cleric, al Nimr in 2016, the relationship had been deteriorating after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in Yemen's war, where the Iran-aligned Houthi movement had ousted a Saudi-backed government and taken over the capital Sanaa.

Riyadh had accused Tehran of arming the Houthis, who went on to strike Saudi cities with armed drones and ballistic missiles. In 2019, the kingdom blamed an attack on Aramco oil facilities, which temporarily knocked out half of its oil output, directly on the Islamic Republic. Iran denied those accusations.

Iran and Saudi Arabia had backed opposing sides in conflict zones across the Middle East for years before mending fences.

After years of discord, the two Middle East heavyweights signed a surprise reconciliation agreement in China on March 10.

Since then, Saudi Arabia has restored ties with Tehran ally Syria and ramped up a push for peace in Yemen.