Iran reopens its diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia the following days.

The news came from Iran’s Foreign Ministry, months after Tehran and Riyadh agreed to end years of rivalry in a deal brokered by China.

In March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore relations. The enmity of these two regional rivals had threatened stability and security in the Middle East and fueled regional conflicts from Yemen to Syria.

To implement the agreement, Iran’s embassy in Riyadh, the Consulate General in Jeddah, and the office at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation will officially reopen on Tuesday and Wednesday, spokesman Nasser Kanaani said.

Last month, Tehran appointed Alireza Enayati as its ambassador to Saudi Arabia, which cut ties in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was seized during a dispute over the execution in Sunni Riyadh of a Shiite cleric.

Relations had begun to deteriorate a year earlier when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in the war in Yemen, where the Iran-allied Houthi movement had ousted the Saudi-backed government and seized the capital Sana’a.

Riyadh has accused Tehran of arming the Houthis, who have continued to attack Saudi cities with drones and ballistic missiles.

In 2019, the kingdom directly blamed the Islamic Republic for an attack on Aramco’s oil facilities, which forced the company to temporarily halve its production. Iran had denied these accusations.

Also read: Iran – Saudi Arabia | Agreement to restore diplomatic relations