Iran says further talks with Saudi Arabia depends on Riyadh’s “seriousness”

Saudi Arabia and Iran, the region’s Sunni Muslim and Shi’ite powerhouses, launched direct talks this year at a time global powers are trying to salvage a nuclear pact with Tehran and as U.N.-led efforts to end the Yemen war stall.

“We invite Riyadh [to take] a diplomatic and political approach and respect the principle of non-interference in other countries, which is the only way forward for the region,” Khatibzadeh said during a presser.

The kingdom, which cut ties with Tehran in 2016, has described the talks as cordial but exploratory, while an Iranian official in October said they had gone a “good distance”.

Reuters