Iran's Raisi 'welcomes' invitation by Saudi king

AFP | Tehran

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has "welcomed" an invitation from Saudi Arabia's King Salman to visit the kingdom following the reconciliation deal between the two countries, an Iranian official said yesterday.

"In a letter to President Raisi... the King of Saudi Arabia welcomed the deal between the two brotherly countries (and) invited him to Riyadh," tweeted Mohammad Jamshidi, the Iranian president's deputy chief of staff for political affairs, adding that "Raisi welcomed the invitation".

Saudi and Iran announced on March 11 a Chinese-brokered deal to restore ties nearly seven years after they were severed.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told reporters Sunday that the two countries had agreed to hold a meeting between their top diplomats.

He added that three locations for the talks had been suggested, without specifying which.