On Friday, March 10th, 2023, regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to restore ties and reopen diplomatic missions in a Chinese-brokered deal. This hugly symbolic move toward healing the longstanding diplomatic divide between Shi'ite Iran and Sunni Saudi Arabia comes weeks after US President Joe Biden adopted a tough stance on the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. After a gap of seven years, Iran and Saudi Arabia have moved forward with a joint statement confirming the reopening of diplomatic missions within two months.

The rapprochement was aided by Iraq, a neighbor to both countries, which hosted several rounds of talks between the two nations since April 2021. Iranian Foreign Minsiter Hossein Amirabdollahian participated in the low-level security and intelligence talks in July and expressed an eagerness to move towards political and public spheres. In addition, Saudi Arabia welcomed the initiative of Chinese president Xi Jinping