Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers discuss moving reconciliation forward

Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Hossein Amirabdollahian exchange Eid Al Fitr greetings as their countries work to restore ties

Hossein Amirabdollahian, left, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Prince Faisal bin Farhan after their meeting in Beijing on April 6. EPA

Saudi Arabia and Iran's foreign ministers have discussed the next steps towards restoring diplomatic relations during a phone call to exchange Eid greetings, Saudi and Iranian state media reported.

The regional powerhouses announced an agreement to restore ties last month following talks mediated by China in Beijing.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian spoke about "several issues of mutual concern, as well as the next steps following the recent agreement with the People's Republic of China" during their phone call, the Saudi Press Agency said.

The ministers also discussed sending technical teams to reopen their respective embassies, Iran's Irna news agency said.

"My colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diplomatic team dispatched by Riyadh are trying to complete the reopening of embassies' responsibilities at the predetermined deadline and before the Hajj pilgrimage season," Mr Amirabdollahian was quoted as saying.

"The Saudi Foreign Minister, on his part, felicitated the Eid occasion and expressed hope for face-to-face meetings with his Iranian counterpart in Riyadh and Tehran in the near future," Irna reported.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have sent delegations to inspect their embassies in Tehran and Riyadh, respectively, and their consulates in Mashhad and Jeddah in preparation for their reopening.

The reopening of the diplomatic missions, which were closed after the two countries cut ties in 2016, will enable the issuing of visas for private and official visits.

Saudi Arabia and Iran this month agreed to resume direct flights in another major step towards restoring ties.

Their reconciliation follows several rounds of dialogue in Iraq and Oman before the final round of talks in China last month.

Prince Faisal and Mr Abdollahian met in Beijing early this month and higher-level talks are expected to follow.