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Iran reopens three diplomatic offices in Saudi Arabia — MFA

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani did not elaborate on the format of the Iranian diplomatic missions

TEHRAN, May 1. /TASS/. Three Iranian diplomatic offices have reopened in Saudi Arabia, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani announced on Monday.

"Three Iranian representations in Riyadh and Jeddah resumed work at the initial stage," the Fars News Agency quoted him as saying. The Iranian diplomat did not elaborate on the format of the Iranian diplomatic missions.

On Friday, Iran’s top diplomat Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that "Iranian embassies and consulates will resume operations in the next few days."

On March 10, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to normalize relations between the two countries and open embassies within two months. Relevant talks in Beijing that lasted several days concluded with a trilateral statement.

Relations between Riyadh and Tehran became strained in March 2015 after a Saudi-led coalition had launched a military operation in Yemen against the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with Iran in January 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashhad were attacked by crowds protesting against the execution in Riyadh of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shia cleric.