TEHRAN — A member of the Iranian Parliament National Security and Foreign Policy Committee announced on Saturday that relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are being revived and that groundwork is being prepared for Iran and Saudi Arabia to reopen their embassies in Riyadh and Tehran.

“Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia are being revived and embassies are preparing to reopen, which has important implications for reducing regional tensions and increasing global cohesion,” Jalil Rahimi Jahanabadi wrote on his Twitter page.

Jahanabadi added, “Security institutions and the media must watch out for the evils of the Zionists and the stupidity of the extremists.” 

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian recently told Al Jazeera that Iranian negotiators have held four rounds of “positive and constructive” talks with the relevant Saudi officials in Iraq. 

“Due to the holding of parliamentary elections in Iraq and the fact that the Iraqi governing body and the heads of the three branches are all involved in forming a new government in the future, the role played by Iraqis was naturally affected by the electoral atmosphere. What we have stated as our official position is that whenever the Saudi side wants the relations between the two countries to return to normal, we are ready and welcome the reopening of our embassies and consulates. Soon our diplomats will be stationed at the office of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Jeddah. I think our diplomats will be deployed soon, which is a good sign. We are also planning to send our pilgrims for Hajj, if the coronavirus conditions allow, and again, if the conditions allow, even for the Umrah pilgrimage. The Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran also has its own instructions for this issue. I personally think that the Saudi side still needs more time to be able to reach a conclusion and a decision. We have announced our readiness for a new round of talks in Baghdad.”