Iran Insists Talks With Saudi Arabia Will Resume Without Saying When

Iran says the next round of talks with Saudi Arabia is on agenda but the presence of Saudi Arabia’s diplomats in Vienna is not related to the Islamic Republic.

During his weekly press briefing on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said that the next round of talks will be hosted by Iraq but did not mention a date.

Dodging a question whether Saudi Arabia's position on Lebanon and Hezbollah has any impact on the talks, Khatibzadeh said that “We have tried to continue our relations and talks despite the differences.

Khatibzadeh also sidestepped a question about the presence of a Saudi delegation in Vienna while Iran and world powers are negotiating to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, saying this Tehran had no role in it.

On Saturday, US Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley met with Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the international organizations to discuss the latest developments in Iran nuclear talks.

Recently, Tehran has been saying that a new round of Iran-Saudi negotiations will take place, but Riyadh has been so far silent.

Last week, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud reiterated Riyadh’s concerns about Iran’s “destabilizing role” and “transgressions” in its nuclear program.

Riyadh and Tehran held talks last year to reduce tensions with the aim of restoring diplomatic ties broken since January 2016. So far, the talks have been exploratory with no tangible results.