Iran's foreign minister says he spoke to Saudi counterpart at Jordan conference
Iran's foreign minister said on Wednesday he spoke with his Saudi counterpart on the sidelines of a conference in Jordan the previous day, in what would be the highest level encounter between officials from the rival states since they cut ties in 2016.
The Middle East's leading Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim powers, Saudi Arabia and Iran have been on opposing sides of conflicts across the region including in Syria and Yemen. Iraq has hosted five meetings between Saudi and Iranian officials since last year in a bid to ease tensions, the last of which was in April.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, in a Tweet in Arabic, listed his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud as one of several foreign ministers with whom he had the chance to hold "friendly talks" on the sidelines of the Jordan conference.
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"My Saudi counterpart assured me of his country's willingness to continue the dialogue with Iran," Amirabdollahian tweeted.
The Saudi foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Amirabdollahian said he also spoke with the foreign ministers of Oman, Qatar, Iraq and Kuwait.
The meeting in Jordan, organised by France and Iraq and aimed at supporting stability in Iraq and the wider region, wrapped on Tuesday with no word of a bilateral meeting between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have ticked higher since the eruption of protests in Iran, with the Revolutionary Guards telling Saudi Arabia to control its media and the Iranian intelligence minister warning Riyadh there was no guarantee of Tehran continuing its "strategic patience".
