Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani announced that Iranian missions in Saudi Arabia have taken their first steps to resume diplomatic activity in the Kingdom. Speaking at a weekly press conference in Tehran, Kanaani expressed Iran’s desire to reopen both the Saudi and Iranian embassies in their respective capitals by the agreed-upon date of May 10, as outlined in the diplomatic relations resumption agreement between the two nations. Kanaani underscored that the Iranian embassy in Riyadh, as well as its consulate and mission office to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) both in Jeddah, have initiated the necessary process to restart their operations. This information was relayed by Iranian government agencies. Kanaani also lauded Saudi Arabia for its role in easing and assisting the movement of many Iranian residents from Sudan to Iran. This appreciation follows Iran’s recent announcement that 65 of its citizens had left Port Sudan for Iran via Jeddah. In a mediated agreement brokered by China, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced on March 10 their decision to restore diplomatic ties and reopen their respective embassies and consulates within two months at most. This development was broadly welcomed from both regional and international communities. In April, representatives from both nations visited their respective embassies in Riyadh and Tehran to commence the process of reopening them. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian announced on Friday that the embassies of Saudi Arabia and Iran would be reopened “in the coming days.” Speaking at a press conference in Beirut, he stated that during a recent phone call between the foreign ministers of their countries on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, they agreed to work towards reopening the embassies in Tehran and Riyadh in the near future. Last week, Kanaani expressed hope that Iran’s diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia would be reopened by May 9.