Saudi officials arrive in Iran to discuss reopening diplomatic missions

Saudi officials have arrived in Iran to discuss procedures for reopening Riyadh’s embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad, the Saudi foreign ministry said on Saturday, after China brokered a deal to restore relations between the two regional powers.

After years of hostility that fuelled conflicts across the Middle East, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed last month to end their diplomatic rift and reopen their diplomatic missions in March.

The Chinese president, Xi Jinping, helped to broker the surprise deal, which left the US on the sidelines.

Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was stormed during a dispute between the two countries over Riyadh’s execution of a Shia cleric.