Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers agree to meet soon in Ramadan phone call

Top diplomats will discuss reopening their embassies, after landmark deal this month restoring ties

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke with Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian at the start of Ramadan. AFP/ Reuters

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian have agreed to meet “soon” to implement a landmark deal restoring ties, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Prince Faisal called Mr Amir Abdollahian and the pair “exchanged congratulations on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan”, the ministry said.

The top diplomats “agreed to hold a bilateral meeting soon in order to pave the way for the reopening of embassies and consulates between the two countries”, it said.

Riyadh cut ties with Tehran in 2016 after protesters attacked the Saudi embassy and consulate following the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in the kingdom.

Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia and Iran reached an agreement in Beijing to resume diplomatic relations.

Riyadh and Tehran will reopen embassies and consulates within the next two months, under the deal brokered by China.

The agreement to resume ties comes after two years of backroom talks.

Dialogue began in early 2021 in Baghdad, the only publicly confirmed venue for the negotiations until the agreement to resume ties was announced in Beijing.

Iraq and Oman were thanked for their roles in helping reach the deal.