Iran Ready to Next Round of Talks with Saudi Arabia

Tehran, MINA – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday announced Tehran’s readiness to take part in the next round of talks on easing tensions with Saudi Arabia brokered by Iraq.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Tehran, Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran presented a “set of practical proposals” to Riyadh, which Saudi authorities viewed as “positive”, paving the way for the next round of talks in Baghdad, Anadolu Agency reported.

Talks aimed at restoring diplomatic ties between the two longtime foes, which began in April, stalled after general elections in Iraq in October.

The Iranian foreign minister said his country was ready to facilitate the visit of a technical delegation to make the necessary preparations for the normalization of diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia.

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Amir-Abdollahian also noted that Iran last week received the Saudi government’s approval for the visas of three Iranian diplomats to be stationed at the headquarters of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah.

Iran’s foreign minister further said Tehran was waiting for a response from Saudi authorities on what he called the “delayed repatriation” of Iran’s envoy to the Houthis in Yemen.

Hassan Irlou, a diplomat and former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who last week was flown to Tehran after contracting Covid-19, died in a Tehran hospital on Tuesday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said the envoy died of viral complications when he was transferred to Tehran in “bad circumstances” and due to late cooperation from several countries, in a veiled reference to Saudi Arabia.

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This issue is likely to affect ongoing efforts to broker an agreement between the two parties.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister, in his remarks, said Saudi Arabia and the US had cooperated in moving the Iranian envoy to Tehran from Yemen, expressing his gratitude to them.

Fuad Hussein went on to say that the time had come for “direct talks” between Tehran and Washington regarding the 2015 nuclear deal and the removal of sanctions, offering to broker it.

In his remarks, Amir-Abdollahian criticized EU3 countries (France, Germany and Italy), in particular France, for what he called an “unconstructive role” in the ongoing Vienna talks, while praising the efforts of EU representatives and negotiation coordinator Enrique Mora.

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Meanwhile, Mora in a tweet on Thursday announced that the eighth round of talks in Vienna would resume on December 27, after the Christmas holiday, “to discuss and determine the way forward.” (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)