its president Iran Ibrahim Raisi today welcomed the invitation he received from his king Saudi Arabia Salman should travel to Riyadh to cement the rapprochement between the two countries, a spokesman for the Iranian president said.

“In a letter to President Raisi, King Salman of Saudi Arabia welcomed the agreement signed between the two brotherly countries and invited him to Riyadh, calling for close economic and regional cooperation. Izyum welcomed this invitation,” Deputy Cabinet Minister Mohammad Jamstindi tweeted.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian confirmed today that the two countries have agreed to meet with the heads of diplomacy in the near future. He added that “three places” had been offered, without specifying which ones.

Agreement on the restoration of bilateral relations

Saudi Arabia’s invitation comes days after Riyadh and Tehran’s March 10 announcement of a decision to restore diplomatic ties within two months of talks held in China.

Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran severed ties in 2016 after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were attacked by protesters following the execution of a prominent Shiite cleric in Riyadh.

As a sign of support for Riyadh, other Gulf states, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain, cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran.

In recent months, the Emirates and Kuwait have resumed diplomatic relations with Iran. On March 13, Tehran announced its intention to restore relations with Bahrain, while Iranian diplomacy referred to the “positive atmosphere in the region.”

^{Source: APE, AFP, Reuters.}