Iran to Open Interests Section in Jeddah

Saudi Arabia has agreed to issue visa for the newly-appointed head of Iran’s Interests Section in the kingdom, an informed source told IRNA. “Saudi Arabia has agreed to issue visa for an Iranian diplomat appointed to head the Interests Section of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Saudi Arabia,” the unidentified source said. Mohammad Alibak, who is currently serving as head of Oman and Yemen office at Foreign Ministry, has been appointed to head the Interests Section in Jeddah. Diplomatic ties were cut off in 2016 after a group attacked the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad following the execution of a prominent Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia in January of that year. Tensions are usually eased to some extent during the annual hajj season when Iranians in big numbers visit  Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage. The move to issue visa for Iranian diplomat has been described as a positive development in bilateral relations the two regional rivals.