Iran’s embassy in Saudi Arabia reopened today for the first time in seven years under a deal to restore relations that would ease long-standing rivalries that have fueled conflicts across the Middle East.
Reuters pointed out that “the heavy gates of the Iranian embassy compound in Riyadh were open while a team was searching its premises.” A white van was seen arriving at the gate.
The diplomatic mission opened its doors hours after the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that “a technical delegation arrived in the Kingdom.”
“The Iranian delegation will take the required measures in Riyadh and Jeddah to resume the activities of the embassy and the consulate general,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement.
The embassy has been closed since Saudi Arabia severed its relations with Iran in 2016 after storming its embassy in Tehran, against the backdrop of a fierce dispute between the two countries over Riyadh’s execution of a Shiite cleric, Nimr al-Nimr. The kingdom later asked Iranian diplomats to leave its territory within 48 hours, while evacuating staff from the Saudi embassy in Tehran.
