Negotiations with Saudi Arabia have made "serious progress": Iran

 
An Iranian foreign ministry official says talks between Middle East rivals Tehran and Riyadh have made "serious progress" on the issue of Gulf security.

 According to the report, the Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzada as saying that "serious progress has been made on the issue of Gulf security."

Iran and Saudi Arabia, which have been at odds over a number of regional disputes, have been in talks since April with the aim of improving relations, the first time since the severance in 2016.

The talks began under former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and continued until his conservative successor, Ibrahim Raeisi, took office in August.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Khatibzada said the talks had been "good" and that the two countries had called for resolving regional issues on their own without outside interference. ۔

Despite more than six years of efforts by a Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, Iranian-backed rebels control much of the north of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

Tehran has been a major regional supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against rebels since the civil war began in Syria in 2011.

In Lebanon, the Iranian-backed Hezbollah has a significant political role to play, with its fighters active in supporting the regime of Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria.

Saudi King Salman on Wednesday expressed hope that talks with Iran would yield tangible results to restore trust and resume bilateral "co-operation".

In a video link to the United Nations, the Saudi monarch once again called on Tehran to stop "all forms of support" for armed groups in the region.

He reiterated his kingdom's support for "international efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon."

Riyadh, an ally of Tehran's enemy Washington, has concerns about Iran's nuclear program, although Iran has insisted it pursues only "peaceful" nuclear technology.