Iran, Saudi Arabia Agree to Restore Diplomatic Relations

The deal was signed after several days of negotiations between the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and his Saudi counterpart in Beijing.The foreign ministers of the two countries are now going to hold a bilateral meeting to discuss the implementation of the agreement.Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), has thanked China for facilitating the talks.He also pointed to the role of Oman and Iraq in leading the initial five rounds of talks between Tehran and Riyadh to reach a final agreement.The two countries have had no diplomatic relations since the January 2016 execution of Saudi Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a critic of the Saudi monarchy who was arrested repeatedly for suggesting that Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province should secede from the kingdom if Shia rights were not respected. Al-Nimr’s killing prompted mobs of angry protesters to attack the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, with Riyadh cutting ties and Tehran reciprocating.However, in 2022, Saudi Arabia and Iran held several rounds of talks to restore broken relations and find possible ways to resolve differences.Original News : https://sputniknews.com/20230310/iran-saudi-arabia-agree-to-restore-diplomatic-relations-1108258390.html