US says Iran reopening Saudi embassy unsurprising step

“As a general matter, we’ve long encouraged direct dialogue and diplomacy, including between Iran and regional governments,” Patel told reporters on Monday.

“An exchange of ambassadors would be an unsurprising step in the course of this dialogue. And we continue to hope that dialogue will contribute to the de-escalation of tensions, the contribution of some more regional stability, and will address other longstanding regional concern,” he stressed.

US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby has also said that Washington supports more integration, more dialogue, and more transparency throughout the region.

“And if the Iranians opening up an embassy in Riyadh can help increase transparency of what they’re doing and why, if it can de-escalate tensions, if it can lead to a reduction in their destabilizing behavior, including intercepting maritime shipping as they attempted to do over the last several days in the Strait of Hormuz, then all that’s to the positive,” he added.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that Iran’s embassy in Riyadh, its consulate general in Jeddah, and its permanent mission to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Jeddah will formally reopen on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 6 and 7.

The spokesman added that the diplomatic sites will reopen as part of the agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia on the restoration of relations.

He stated that Iran’s embassy in Riyadh and its consulate general in Jeddah have already resumed their practical operations ahead of the Hajj season to facilitate the affairs related to the pilgrimage, noting that the formal reopening ceremony will be attended by the officials from the foreign ministries of the two nations.

The reconciliation between the two regional powerhouses came as a surprise when they signed an agreement in China on March 10, putting an end to years of discord. Following the agreement, Saudi Arabia has also restored diplomatic ties with Syria and intensified efforts for peace in Yemen, where it has led a military coalition for years.