Iran’s foreign minister visits Saudi Arabia on first such trip in years as tensions ease

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister has traveled to Saudi Arabia. The trip Thursday to the kingdom marks the first by Tehran’s top diplomat in years after the two nations reached a détente earlier this year with Chinese mediation. The visit by Hossein Amirabdollahian comes as both Saudi Arabia and Iran try to ease tensions between their nations, which long have viewed each other as archrivals, for influence across the wider Middle East. Challenges remain, however, particularly over Iran’s advancing nuclear program, the Saudi-led war in Yemen and security across region’s waterways. The two nations are reopening diplomatic missions in each others’ nations. He was accompanied by Alireza Enayati, Iran’s new ambassador to the kingdom.