Iran’s top security official visits Saudi Arabia for high-level talks

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday for talks with senior Saudi officials, Iranian media reported.

The visit comes amid ongoing consultations between the two regional heavyweights and follows Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman’s recent trip to Tehran, the state news agency IRNA said.

Larijani is accompanied by Ali Bagheri Kani, council’s deputy secretary, and Iranian Foreign Ministry aide Mohammad Ali Bak, the agency said.

Meetings are scheduled to focus on expanding political, security, and economic cooperation between Tehran and Riyadh, alongside high-level diplomatic discussions.

The visit comes a week after an Israeli airstrike that killed five Hamas members in the Qatari capital, Doha.

Riyadh is the third stop in Larijani’s current round of international consultations, following visits to Iraq and Lebanon in August.

Diplomatic representation between Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed in September 2023, for the first time since they severed ties in 2016.

The two countries announced the restoration of their diplomatic relations on March 10, 2023, following talks brokered by China.