Saudi Embassy in Iran Reopens After Seven Years

Following a breakthrough in relations seven years after the mission was shut down, the Saudi Arabia embassy in Tehran has restarted operations, official media in Iran announced on Wednesday.

A deal mediated by China and disclosed in March saw the Kingdom and the Islamic Republic agree to resume diplomatic ties and reopen their respective embassies.

In 2016, after Saudi diplomatic offices in Iran were attacked during a protest, the longtime rivals in the region broke ties.

According to the official news agency IRNA, which cited an "informed source" in Iran's foreign ministry, "the embassy of Saudi Arabia in the Islamic Republic of Iran has officially begun its activities" and has been working since Sunday.

The move has not received any formal confirmation from Riyadh. Iran held a ceremony in June to celebrate the reopening of its embassy in Riyadh. The Saudi embassy's delayed reopening had previously been attributed by Iranian media to the building's poor condition after it was destroyed during the 2016 protests.

Saudi Arabia has improved ties with Syria since the March agreement and increased efforts to bring about peace in Yemen, where it has long led a military coalition against the Houthis, who are backed by Iran.