Saudi Arabia, Iran Exchange Ambassadors After Rapprochement

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Iran and Iran’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia each arrived in their host countries within hours of one another on Tuesday, cementing the restoration of ties between the two Gulf rivals after a seven-year rupture. China brokered the rapprochement earlier this year.

Upon arriving in Tehran, Saudi Ambassador Abdullah bin Saud al-Anzi, previously the kingdom’s ambassador to Oman, said Saudi Arabia’s leaders recognize “the importance of strengthening ties, increasing engagement … and taking the [relationship] to broader horizons.”

Meanwhile, Iranian Ambassador Alireza Enayati, whose previous posting was in Kuwait, was welcomed in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia, with a majority Sunni Muslim population, and Iran, with a majority Shiite Muslim population, have often had strained relations and have backed opposing sides in Middle Eastern conflicts for many years.

In January 2016, Saudi Arabia executed Saudi Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr for crimes including disobeying the Saudi ruler and inciting protests against the Saudi regime. The execution sparked widespread international condemnation, and protesters in Iran attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, leading to the severance of ties between the two countries.

In March this year, China hosted the Saudi and Iranian representatives in Beijing and obtained a groundbreaking agreement that they would resume full diplomatic relations. On April 6, the two countries announced the immediate resumption of diplomatic relations.

Last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made his first visit to Saudi Arabia since the announcement of the rapprochement, and said bilateral ties were “progressing in the right direction.”