TEHRAN - Kamal Kharrazi, former head of the Iranian diplomacy, has said Tehran is ready to enter dialogue with Saudi Arabia to settle disputes.

“We are ready to negotiate with Saudi Arabia,” Kharrazi told a number of French journalists, Le Point reported on Friday.

Iran and Saudi Arabia have been at odds since the conflict arose in Syria in 2011. The relations suffered more setbacks as 464 Iranian pilgrims were crushed to death in a stampede in Mecca in September 2015. 

The relations started deteriorating as a number of Iranians attacked the Saudi diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad in protest to the execution of the pro-democracy cleric Nimr al-Nimr in January 2016. Though senior Iranian officials condemned the move, Saudi completely cut ties with Tehran.

Iran has been seeking to reach Saudi Arabia, though new rulers in Riyadh are reluctant to respond positively to Iran’s overtures.

In an interview with the Tehran Times recently, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi said Saudi Arabia is under illusion in seeing Iran as a threat.