Iran resumes talks with Saudi Arabia in Iraq

Shafaq News/ On Monday, Iran said it would hold another round of talks with Saudi Arabia mediated by Iraq.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said,  "The next round of negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia is on the agenda."

"Iraq will host these meetings," he added.

Khatibzadeh announced that Foreign Minister Hussein Amir Abdollahian may visit another Gulf country after his one-day visit to Oman."

In January 2016, the Saudi Embassy in Tehran was attacked after Saudi authorities executed Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr. The kingdom then cut ties with Iran.

Relations between the two rivals deteriorated further after Iran, in September 2016, accused Saudi authorities of causing the death of around 400 Iranian pilgrims in a 2015 stampede in Mecca.

The two sides have since been engaged in a solid regional rivalry, often accusing each other of waging a proxy war for regional influence.

In 2021, the two countries launched direct talks. 

Iran confirmed publicly for the first time last May that it was in talks with Saudi Arabia, saying this step could "resolve issues between them."