Iran has appointed its ambassador to Saudi Arabia as part of the implementation of agreements to restore diplomatic relations between the two states, Tasnim reported on Tuesday.
Alireza Enayati will be the republic's new diplomatic representative in Riyadh, it said. The first reports on his appointment appeared on Monday. There are no details yet as to when exactly the ambassador plans to go to the kingdom and begin his professional duties. In addition, it is not yet known who will take over the post of head of the Iranian consulate general in Jeddah.
Press TV informed that Enayati previously served as the Islamic Republic's diplomatic representative in Kuwait, as well as assistant to the foreign minister and director general for Persian Gulf affairs in Iran's foreign ministry.
On May 11, Islamic Republic Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that Saudi Arabia had appointed its new ambassador to Tehran and expressed confidence that Iran would also announce the name of its diplomatic representative in Riyadh in the near future.
On March 10, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies within two months. Representatives of the two countries negotiated for several days in Beijing, which resulted in a trilateral statement. It notes that the countries are committed to the principles of sovereignty and non-interference in each other's domestic affairs and plan to resume cooperation in trade, economy, culture, science and technology.
Relations between Riyadh and Tehran deteriorated in March 2015 with the start of the Saudi-led coalition military operation in Yemen against the Ansar Allah (Houthis) movement. In January 2016, after the Saudi embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad were attacked by crowds of protesters outraged by the execution in Riyadh of Shiite preacher Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, the kingdom broke off diplomatic relations with Iran.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Based on materials from TASS