ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Sunday said that it views the idea of reopening embassies in Tehran and Riyadh favorably amid a visit by Iraq’s prime minister hoping to restore ties between the regional rivals.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran wants nothing but good for the region, and supports the reopening of embassies in the capitals of the two countries,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said in a meeting with Iraqi premier Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Tehran on Monday said it was “too early” to reopen embassies.
Kadhimi arrived in Tehran from the Saudi city of Jeddah earlier on Sunday in an effort to mediate between the two Middle East rivals. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Kadhimi’s visit represented a “turning point” in Iraq-Iran relations.
The Sunni kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Shiite-majority Iran have had rocky relations since 1979, when Shia revolutionaries came to power in Iran and pledged to export their revolution to the world, including Gulf countries.
Their relations deteriorated in 2016 when Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran after the kingdom executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Riyadh responded by cutting ties with Tehran.
Baghdad has played a crucial role in mediating talks between Tehran and Riyadh and has hosted five rounds of talks between the two, with PM Kadhimi previously stating that Iraq has a “direct interest” in liaising talks between the countries in efforts to achieve regional stability.
Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in an interview with al-Jazeera in April stated that the meetings were conducted "peacefully," adding that both countries had agreed on a 10-point memorandum of understanding on bilateral relations and security matters.
