Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has extended an invitation to Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud to visit Tehran, the Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson said.

Nasser Kanaani announced at a press conference on Monday that the Iranian president has offered to reciprocally host the Saudi king after receiving an invitation to visit Riyadh.

Predicting that the reciprocal visits by the authorities of the two Muslim countries would continue at the level of foreign ministers, the spokesman said Iran and Saudi Arabia are moving to carry out two comprehensive agreements signed in the past.

Hailing the acceptable pace of implementation of a March agreement on the restoration of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia, he said the embassies of the two countries will reopen by May 9.

“Fortunately, we have taken positive steps. The officials of the two countries have welcomed the technical delegations very well… The political relations between the two countries have been practically restored,” Kanaani noted, adding that the embassies and diplomatic missions of the two states should reopen during an appropriate period of time considering that the Hajj pilgrimage season is approaching.

After several days of intensive negotiations hosted by China, Iran and Saudi Arabia clinched a deal on March 10 to restore diplomatic relations and reopen embassies and missions within two months after seven years of estrangement.

The two regional heavyweights have underscored the need to respect each other’s national sovereignty and refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of one another.

By Tasnim