Saudi Arabia confirmed on Sunday that it has been holding talks with its old foe, Iran, in an attempt to reduce longtime tension between the two countries, Reuters reported.
"These discussions are still in the exploratory phase. We hope they will provide a basis to address unresolved issues between the two sides and we will strive and work to realise that," Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud said at a news conference.
Farhan al-Saud said that a round of talks with Iran, including with its new president Ebrahim Raisi, took place last month.
He did not provide details including a location of the meeting, but the date he mentioned, Sept. 21, coincided with the United Nations General Assembly in New York in which leaders from both countries attended.
According to Reuters another round of talks between the two countries was held in Iraq months before Iran’s hardliner Raisi took office in August.
Iran and Saudi Arabia halted talks in 2016 which resumed in April amid indirect discussions between the US and Iran about reviving a nuclear pact, which officials in Riyadh opposed.
