TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian is planning to pay a visit to Kuwait soon, according to the Iranian ambassador to Kuwait. 

Mohammad Irani told the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai that Kuwait and Iran are in the process of upgrading their ties, including diplomatically.

Kuwait has named its ambassador Badr Abdullah Al-Munikh to Iran.

Ambassador Irani considered that the return of diplomatic representation to the rank of ambassador “is a natural matter for the strength of bilateral relations between our two countries, especially in the political field between Iranian officials and their counterparts in Kuwait.”

The remarks came a few days after Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian announced Kuwait and the UAE will soon send ambassadors to Tehran. He said the UAE ambassador will resume his work in Iran soon, and Kuwait has also named its new ambassador to Tehran. The foreign ministry has endorsed the two Arab ambassadors, he added.

“The relations between the two countries' foreign ministers are continuous and good, in addition to the historical ties between the peoples of our two countries,” the Iranian ambassador to Kuwait said. 

The diplomat expected relations to develop for the better between the two countries.

He stressed that “the presence of a Kuwaiti ambassador in Iran is an excellent opportunity to develop bilateral relations in all fields, quickly, to serve the interests of both countries... This is a good beginning, God willing.”

Irani pointed out that his country approved the proposed Kuwaiti ambassador more than a month ago and is ready to receive him upon his arrival to hand over his credentials.

The ambassador announced that Amir Abdollahian will visit Kuwait soon to consult on bilateral relations and developments in the region. The visit is likely to take place in the coming weeks, he added. 

He also expected that some Kuwaiti officials to visit Tehran soon, after the trip of Iranian vice president and head of the Environmental Protection Organization, Ali Salajeqeh.

The diplomat affirmed Iran's readiness to provide expertise and research results in the field of dust storms to neighboring countries, especially Kuwait, and to sign a memorandum of understanding in the field of sand and dust storms with Kuwait.

The improvement in Iran-Kuwait ties comes amid broader de-escalation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. After more than a year of painstaking and security-oriented talks, Iran and Saudi Arabia appear to be on the verge of making a breakthrough that could end years of diplomatic severance.

Iran announced on Monday that it had accepted an offer by Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman for Iraq to hold a public meeting of the Iranian and Saudi foreign ministers, an indication that the countries are moving the talks to the political level. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that the result of the Iran-Saudi talks in Baghdad was “encouraging.” Speaking at a weekly presser, Kanaani said, “Five rounds of Iran’s negotiations with Saudi Arabia were held and hosted by the Iraqi government. Fortunately, they produced good and encouraging results.”

He pointed to the message relayed by Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein from bin Salman to Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian. According to Kanaani, Hussein told Amir Abdollahian that bin Salman had expressed a desire for Iraq to hold “official and public talks” between Iran and Saudi Arabia. “This is a positive indication and I think, given the positive will of the two sides to take practical steps forward, the ground has been laid for us to hold the next meeting at the official and political level, and take a big and tangible step to elevate and resume relations between the two countries. We appreciate the Iraqi government’s moves in that regard,” the spokesman said.