Talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended

The Islamic Republic of Iran has "unilaterally" and "temporarily" suspended talks with Saudi Arabia, several rounds of which had previously been held with the mediation of the Iraqi government.

Noor News, a news outlet close to Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said in a report on Sunday that Iran has unilaterally temporarily suspended these talks, while referring to recent statements by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fawad Hussein on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Conference regarding the holding of the fifth round of Iran-Saudi Arabia talks on Wednesday, March 15, in Baghdad.

According to this report, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan also announced a few days ago the possibility of holding a fifth round of talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Saudi Foreign Minister had previously said on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference that reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia requires substantial progress on the concerns of Riyadh and regional countries.

"It's not just the Saudi kingdom that is concerned about some of Iran's behavior in the region," Faisal bin Farhan said. "If we see significant progress on these issues, then of course, yes, there is a possibility of reconciliation. We haven't seen that yet, but we still hope to do that and we will work to achieve it."

Riyadh severed all ties with Tehran after a group of protesters attacked its embassy and consulate buildings in Tehran and Mashhad in January 2015. Tensions between the two countries reached a new level in September 2019, following an attack on Saudi oil facilities by the Iranian-backed Houthis.

Riyadh and Tehran began talks aimed at improving relations this spring, with Iraq as the mediator, as the United Nations sought to end the war in Yemen.

Source: Voice of America