MP: Tehran pursuing re-opening of Iran, Saudi embassies ahead of Hajj season

Shahriar Heydari, who sits on the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said meetings between the Iranian and Saudi sides continue with the goal of de-escalation, but the contacts will increase in the run-up to the Hajj pilgrimage.

He hailed Iraq’s mediation efforts between Tehran and Riyadh and said the Hajj pilgrimage would be a “good opportunity” for the two neighbors to mend their ties.

“Efforts are ongoing to secure a reopening of the embassies prior to the Hajj pilgrimage,” he added.

Heydari said both Iran and Saudi Arabia are willing to fix their troubled relations since the two countries are neighbors and play a role in regional developments, aside from the issue of shared religion.

Late last year, foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met on the sidelines of a conference in Jordan.

The meeting followed five rounds of talks between the two sides in Baghdad aimed at narrowing down their differences over a host of bilateral and regional issues.