In order to prepare for the reopening of its diplomatic missions there in response to a similar step by Riyadh, Iran’s foreign ministry announced on Sunday that a delegation will travel to Saudi Arabia by Friday.
The statement followed a historic meeting between the foreign ministers of the two Gulf nations in China, which took place the day after a Saudi delegation landed in Tehran on a related diplomatic mission.
Deputy Foreign Minister Alireza Enayati stated in an interview with state television that “we are expecting a foreign ministry delegation to visit Saudi Arabia” by Friday.
Before the reopening of the Iranian embassy and consulate in Riyadh and Jeddah, respectively, “two separate delegations will go there.”
After demonstrators attacked its embassies in Tehran and Mashhad in the northwest, Saudi Arabia broke off diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016.
After Tehran and Riyadh decided to reestablish diplomatic relations last month, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his Saudi colleague Prince Faisal bin Farhan met on Thursday in the Chinese capital.
The ministers promised to restore security and stability to the tumultuous Gulf in a joint statement.
Prior to reaching the agreement in Beijing, the two nations had held several rounds of negotiations in Iraq and Oman. The deal was negotiated over five days by Musaed bin Mohammed al-Aiban, the Saudi Minister of State, and Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.
