Iran said on Monday that the latest round of talks with its regional rivalSaudi Arabia was “positive and serious” and voiced hope for furtherprogress soon.
Tehran and Riyadh, which severed diplomatic ties in 2016, held four roundsof talks in Iraq between April and September last year, with a fifthmeeting last Thursday.
“The fifth round of negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Baghdad… was positive and serious and saw progress,” foreign ministry spokesmanSaeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.
Iran and Saudi Arabia support rival sides in several conflicts, includingin Yemen, where Tehran backs the Houthi rebels and Riyadh leads a militarycoalition supporting the government.
In 2016, Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in theIslamic republic after the kingdom executed revered Shia cleric Nimral-Nimr. Riyadh responded by cutting ties with Tehran.
Iran’s Nour news agency reported the latest talks were attended by “seniorofficials from the secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Counciland the head of the Saudi intelligence service”.
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It added that the foreign ministers of the two countries were expected tomeet “in the near future”.
Khatibzadeh said that “if the negotiations are upgraded to first-classpolitical level, it can be expected that progress can be made swiftly indifferent sectors of the talks”.
The spokesman also said “an agreement was reached to hold the next round ofnegotiations” between Iran and Saudi Arabia, but he did not specify a date.- APP/AFP
