Monday, 11 October 2021 (YJC)_ Regional arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran are showing signs of warming relations.
Regional arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran are showing signs of warming relations, but experts say more work is needed to ease tensions after a five-year rift.
In recent weeks, officials from both countries, on opposing sides in multiple Middle East conflicts, have spoken positively about breakthrough talks held in Baghdad since April.
The discussions were launched under Iran's former moderate president Hassan Rouhani and have continued under his ultraconservative successor, Ebrahim Raisi.
A foreign diplomat residing in the kingdom who is privy to the negotiations said that the two sides "were on the verge of agreeing... to ease tensions between them and the (diplomatic) proxy war in the region" during the last round of talks.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has confirmed a fourth round took place in September, and expressed hope they would "lay the foundation" to address issues between the countries.
His Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has said the discussions are "on the right track".
"We have achieved results and agreements, but we still need more dialogue," he said earlier this month.
The foreign diplomat said the two sides would "most likely put the final touches to an agreement" in a new round of talks that could come within days.
"They, in principle, have reached an agreement to reopen consulates... and I think an announcement of normalisation of ties may come in the next few weeks," the diplomat told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"Saudi Arabia is interested in ending the conflict in Yemen... which has cost it billions of riyals," the foreign diplomat said.