Iran’s embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital city of Riyadh reopened on Tuesday after seven years.
The Iranian national anthem was played when the Iranian flag was raised in front of the embassy building in Riyadh, according to a video broadcast on the Al Arabiya sister channel al-Hadath TV.
Earlier Monday, the Foreign Ministry of Iran announced that Tehran would reopen its embassy and consulate.
According to the diplomatic source, Iran named Alireza Enayati as its diplomatic envoy to Saudi Arabia last month; in contrast, the Saudi Arabian Kingdom still needs to confirm the reopening of its diplomatic presence.
After the 2016 death of famous Shia preacher Nimr al-Nimr, which provoked widespread protests in Tehran and other major Iranian cities and resulted in attacks on the Saudi embassy in Tehran and the consulate in Mashhad, diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia deteriorated.
After seven years without official contact between Tehran and Riyadh, the embassy was reopened due to a deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which China mediated. As a result, the two Middle East countries signed a surprise reconciliation agreement in China on March 10.
