Iran Appoints Ambassador To Saudi Arabia
On May 23, Iran appointed Alireza Enayati, a veteran diplomat, as its ambassador to Saudi Arabia after resuming bilateral relations two months ago.
Enayati served as Iran’s ambassador to Kuwait from 2014 to 2019. Later, he was director general of the Persian Gulf Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also previously served as assistant to the foreign minister, according to the semi-official Fars News Agency.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed on March 10 to restore diplomatic relations following breakthrough talks which were held in the Chinese capital, Beijing. The foreign ministers of the two countries officially announced the resumption of relations with immediate effect after a meeting on April 6.
The kingdom broke off ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic posts in Tehran. Riyadh had executed a prominent Shia cleric days earlier.
The Chinese-brokered agreement was seen as a blow to the United States influence in the Middle East. Still, Washington welcomed the appointment of Enayati.
“We welcome continued diplomatic engagement in the region, but and if any such diplomatic engagements could lead Iran to curtail its malign activities in the region, we would, of course, support that,” Department of State spokesperson Mathew Miller said during a press briefing.
Iran’s embassy in Riyadh reopened its gates on April 12, but it is still unclear when Enayati will be headed to the Saudi capital.
The Saudi-Iranian rapprochement led to several positive developments in the Middle East, from advancing talks in Yemen, where the Kingdom has been battling the Iran-aligned Houthis (Ansar Allah) for the last eight years, to restoring Syria’s seat in the Arab League.
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