A handout picture provided by the Iranian Foreign Ministry office shows Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) greeting his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan in Cape Town on June 2, 2023. AFP
They discussed implementing the agreement signed between the two countries in Beijing in March to restore diplomatic ties, the Saudi foreign ministry said.
They also talked about intensifying bilateral work “to ensure international peace and security," the ministry added.
The two sides expressed their aspiration to intensify consultations and co-operation, to achieve more "positive prospects" and "serve the interests of their countries and people."
Iran's top diplomat, in a statement on 10 May revealed that his country would soon appoint its ambassador and reopen its embassy in Saudi Arabia, as reported by the Iranian official news agency IRNA.
The two countries announced the official resumption of diplomatic relations on 6 April, with Iran extending an invitation to Saudi King Salman to visit Tehran, signaling a further thaw in relations.
The Chinese-brokered deal was deemed a diplomatic breakthrough on all sides and a challenge to US hegemony over the region.
The two Middle East powerhouses had held several rounds of dialogue in Iraq and Oman before reaching the agreement.
Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016 after its diplomatic mission to the Shia-majority country was attacked following the execution of a Shia cleric in Sunni-majority Saudi Arabia.
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