Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, right, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Riyadh on Thursday. Reuters
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, right, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Riyadh on Thursday. Reuters
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, right, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Riyadh on Thursday. Reuters
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, right, and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Riyadh on Thursday. Reuters

Iran's Foreign Minister says Iranian-Saudi relations 'on right track'


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Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian arrived in Riyadh on Thursday on his first trip to Saudi Arabia since the countries resumed relations earlier this year, Iranian state media reported.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met Mr Amirabdollahian at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Riyadh.

“Relations between Tehran and Saudi Arabia are on the right track and we are witnessing progress,” Mr Amirabdollahian said in a news conference with Prince Faisal, who said the talks were “successful”.

Prince Faisal said the kingdom was hoping Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi would visit Saudi Arabia following an invitation from King Salman.

Mr Raisi has said he would travel to the kingdom at the “appropriate time”.

The kingdom is keen to follow through with all main points of the China-brokered deal and will work to foster closer economic and security ties with Tehran, Prince Faisal said.

“We look forward to a new phase in our relationship based on our Islamic brotherhood and work towards common interests,” he added, saying that he welcomed Iran's endorsement of Riyadh's bid to host Expo 2030.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said he hoped Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi would visit the kingdom soon. AFP
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said he hoped Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi would visit the kingdom soon. AFP

The Iranian official signed the ministry's visitors' book during the visit.

Prince Faisal and Mr Amirabdollahian discussed regional and global issues during the meeting, Iranian state news agency Irna reported.

Mr Amirabdollahian also thanked the kingdom for arranging passage for Iranian pilgrims performing Ummah and Hajj in the kingdom.

Security, economy and trade agreements are to be enacted"as soon as possible”, Mr Amirabdollahian said.

Saudi Arabia is keen to sign security-related and economic agreements with Tehran, Prince Faisal said, adding that the kingdom seeks to foster relations based on “mutual respect”.

In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to a China-brokered deal to end a diplomatic rift and re-establish relations, following years of hostility that had endangered regional stability.

In June, Prince Faisal met Iranian officials in Tehran, on his first visit to the country after the resumption of diplomatic relations.

Saudi Arabia broke off ties with Iran in 2016, after protesters attacked its embassy in Tehran, in retaliation for Riyadh's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Mr Amirabdollahian and Prince Faisal would discuss re-establishing co-operation in various fields and hoped they “will be able to reach better results in terms of setting goals of the two countries”.

On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's Assistant Defence Minister Talal Al Otaibi met with Aziz Nasirzadeh, deputy chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, along with delegations from both countries, on the sidelines of the 11th Moscow Conference on International Security.

They reviewed relations in defence and security and ways to develop them, the Saudi Defence Ministry said on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to resume all joint agreements between the countries, including security co-operation, trade, technology, investment, science, culture and sports.

Last month, Iran reopened its diplomatic mission in Riyadh and its consulate service in Jeddah.

Iran’s Finance Minister Ehsan Khandouzi visited Saudi Arabia in May, the first visit by an Iranian official to the kingdom since the countries resumed diplomatic relations.

Tehran appointed Alireza Enayati as its ambassador to Saudi Arabia in May.

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

Brief scores:

Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37

South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62

Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59

Russia's Muslim Heartlands

Dominic Rubin, Oxford

The Bio

Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959

Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.

He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses

Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas

His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s

Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business

He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery 

Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all

Dhadak 2

Director: Shazia Iqbal

Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri 

Rating: 1/5

Updated: August 18, 2023, 3:19 AM