After 7-Year Hiatus, Saudi Embassy in Tehran Reopens

Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Tehran on Sunday, renewing an Iranian-Saudi diplomatic relationship that had been halted for the past seven years, according to a report by Iran’s official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

“The Embassy of Saudi Arabia in the Islamic Republic of Iran has officially commenced its activities,” IRNA reported, citing an “informed source” at Iran’s Foreign Ministry.

The move follows the reopening of Iran’s embassy in Riyadh in June, as well as its consulate general and representative office to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation based in Jeddah.

Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed their bilateral ties in April, after a deal brokered by China in March. Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic relations with Shiite-ruled Iran in 2016, after the Saudi diplomatic mission in Tehran was attacked following the execution of a Shiite cleric in Riyadh.

Since the March deal, Saudi Arabia has also resumed ties with Syria, an ally of Iran. Saudi Arabia and Iran have traditionally been rival powers in the Middle East, clashing across multiple fronts.