Saudi Arabia, Iran hold talks to repair relations: Report

The meeting, which took place in Baghdad on April 9, included discussions about attacks by Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels and was positive, it said, citing one of the people.

Senior officials from Saudi Arabia and Iran have been holding talks to repair relations between the two regional rivals, four years after they broke off diplomatic ties, the Financial Times reported, citing three unidentified officials.

Discussions between Iran and Saudi Arabia also focused on Houthis. An aerial image provided by Houthi Media Center on March 26, 2021, shows supporters of Yemen's Huthi rebels attending a rally, to mark the sixth anniversary of the Saudi-led coalition's intervention in Yemen, in the capital Sanaa. (AFP/For Representative Purposes Only)

The meeting, which took place in Baghdad on April 9, included discussions about attacks by Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels and was positive, it said, citing one of the people. The Saudi delegation was led by intelligence chief Khalid bin Ali al-Humaidan, according to the report, adding that another round of talks had been scheduled for next week.

The talks were thought to be the first significant political discussions between the two nations since 2016 and came as US President Joe Biden seeks to revive the nuclear deal Iran signed with global powers in 2015 and dial down tension in the region, the Financial Times said.

A senior Saudi official denied that any talks with Iran had taken place, while the Iraqi and Iranian governments did not comment. A senior Iraqi official and a foreign diplomat confirmed the talks to the FT.