Iranian official hails positive Saudi talks

Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal held positive and constructive talks on Tuesday with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian.
The two sides discussed major regional developments and agreed to join forces in the fight against terrorist groups that have threatened the region’s security and stability.
“The meeting with Prince Saud took place in a very positive and constructive atmosphere,” said Abdollahian.
It was the first visit by a senior Iranian official to the Kingdom since the election of President Hassan Rouhani last summer.
Riza Hamid Dahqani, Iran’s representative at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), said that the two sides discussed bilateral relations, regional developments and “the challenges facing the region such, as extremism and Israel’s savage aggression” on the Gaza Strip.
They discussed the situation “in Iraq and means to confront extremism and terrorism” in particular, said Dahqani, referring to Islamic State (IS) militants.
Mohammed Tayeb, director-general of the Foreign Ministry’s branch office in the Makkah region and the Kingdom’s representative to the OIC, and Iranian Ambassador Hussein Sadeghi attended the talks, which took place in Jeddah.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have welcomed the departure of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki this month.
Al-Maliki was a close political ally of Iran, but the country’s leaders came to see him as a liability after many Sunni Iraqis backed the revolt against him.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif continued his own visit to Iraq on Tuesday, meeting Kurdistan President Massoud Barzani, whose forces Tehran has supplied weapons to in response to IS advances.