Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman.. Photo courtesy of Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
Iran’s joint chief of staff, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, greeted the prince on his arrival, and an honour guard played for the two men.
Prince Khalid, a fighter pilot, has become the first Saudi defence minister to visit Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. He's also the highest-ranking Saudi royal to visit in decades.
The last was King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, who did so as crown prince in 1997 for an Organisation of Islamic Cooperation meeting held in Tehran.
The state-run Saudi Press Agency, announcing the prince's arrival, said his trip would include “a number of meetings to discuss bilateral relations between the two countries and issues of common interest".
Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in 2016, after an attack on its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad.
In 2023, Tehran and Riyadh restored ties in a Chinese-brokered rapprochement.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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