A senior Saudi official has denied there being direct talks with Iran, four years after the two countries cut off diplomatic ties, contradicting a Financial Times report claiming discussions were ongoing between the two major regional players, Arab News said.

The Financial Times report, which cited unnamed sources, said the first round of talks took place in Baghdad on April 9, which included discussions on attacks against Saudi Arabia by the Iran-backed Houthi militia.

The report said the talks were being facilitated by Iraqi Prime Minister Mostafa Al-Kadhimi, who held talks with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed in Riyadh last month.

Interestingly, not only did a Saudi source deny the story, but neither the Iranian nor the Iraqi governments provided the Financial Times with a comment, the Arab News report said.