TEHRAN- Nasser Kanaani, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, revealed on Monday that a Saudi delegation has toured Iran to follow up on the matter of reopening diplomatic missions in Tehran and Mashhad.

Speaking with reporters, Kanaani noted that a Saudi delegation arrived in Tehran on Saturday and is currently working to reopen their embassy in Tehran and their consulate in Mashhad.

This is done in accordance with a recent agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran to restore diplomatic relations. 

A group from Iran will also pay a visit to Saudi Arabia in the coming days, he said, to lay the groundwork for the reopening of the embassy in Riyadh, as well as the general consulate and the mission to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah.

The moves to reopen embassies in Riyadh and Tehran follow a Chinese-brokered agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March and ensuing meeting between the foreign ministers of the two countries in Beijing in early April.

Iran supports political efforts to end war in Yemen

In response to recent diplomatic efforts to put an end to Saudi Arabia’s assault on Yemen, Kanaani stated that Iran is in favor of extending a cease-fire that would allow the siege on the impoverished nation to be lifted and humanitarian help to be delivered to its citizens.

“It is up to the Yemeni people to decide their country’s fate and nobody has the authority to decide Yemen’s fate in place of Yemenis,” he added. 

Kanaani went on to highlight that Iran is still active in the process of initiatives proposed by Oman for peace in Yemen and has always played a good role in this respect.

The Iranian official expressed optimism that the changing regional conditions would lead to a long-term truce in Yemen for the benefit of the Yemeni people.

In order to negotiate a long-term truce, Saudi and Omani envoys met with representatives of Yemen’s Ansarullah movement on Saturday in Sanaa.

With armed and logistical backing from the U.S. and other Western countries, Saudi Arabia and some of its allies began a war on Yemen in March 2015 that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Yemenis.

Millions of people have also been displaced by the conflict, which has also damaged the nation’s infrastructure and caused the biggest humanitarian crisis in modern history.

“Israel embroiled in own problems in occupied territories”

In reference to the recent events in Palestine, he asserted that the Zionist regime, which is dealing with escalating crises in the occupied lands, wants to spread its woes to other Palestinian regions.

He denounced the atrocities the Zionist regime committed against Palestinian worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque last week and noted that Islamic nations now have a better understanding of the Palestinian cause. 

The spokesman also predicted that both Muslim and non-Muslim nations would stand up to the Zionist regime and support the oppressed Palestinian people.

He added the Iranian people will participate in International Quds Day this coming Friday and once again demonstrate their sympathy for the Palestinians. 

“Iran-Iraq relationship”

In regards to the ties between Iran and Iraq, he stated that the Islamic Republic has consistently worked to strengthen peace, serenity, and security in the neighboring state and has been instrumental in the battle against terrorism in the Arab nation. 

He added that building a railway between the two nations will protect the interests of both parties and that construction on the Shalamche-Basra railway can be completed in about 1.5 years.

Regarding diplomatic ties with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, he stated that an Iranian delegation had been sent to Manama and that relations between the UAE and Iran are improving, especially following the return of Abu Dhabi’s ambassador to Tehran.