The last round of talks between Iran and regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia were described as “positive” by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
A semi-official Iranian news agency reported that, in a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussain, Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran welcomes the outcome of the Iranian-Saudi talks in Baghdad.
In order to help the two countries restore their normal relations, the top Iranian diplomat said Iraq intends to continue its efforts to facilitate the talks between the regional rivals.
In a bid to end the diplomatic rift between Riyadh and Tehran and reach an understanding on the conflict in Yemen and Iran’s nuclear file, Baghdad has been hosting talks since 2021.
Following an attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran in January 2016, after Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr was executed by Saudi authorities, Iran and Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations.
After Iran, in September 2016, accused Riyadh of deliberately causing the death of around 400 Iranian pilgrims in a 2015 stampede in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, the relationship between the two rivals deteriorated further.
The two sides have since been engaged in a strong regional rivalry, often accusing each other of waging a proxy war for regional influence.
