TEHRAN: Iran has named an ambassador to Saudi Arabia, state media reported Wednesday, sealing a thaw in relations more than seven years after the regional rivals severed ties.

The new envoy, Alireza Enayati, previously served as ambassador to Kuwait, assistant to the foreign minister and director general of Gulf affairs at the foreign ministry, Eng­lish-language Iran Daily said.

There was no immediate confirmation of his appointment from the foreign ministry of the Islamic republic. The Middle East heavyweights, after years of discord, signed a surprise reconciliation agreement in China on March 10.

Saudi Arabia had severed relations with Iran in 2016, after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the second city of Mashhad were attacked during protests over the kingdom’s execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

The two governments held several rounds of dialogue in Iraq and Oman before signing the reconciliation agreement.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2023