“We certainly are ready and have always been ready for close ties with Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Tehran and Riyadh have long been rivals and support opposite sides in Yemen, Syria and elsewhere in the region.
Relations worsened considerably in 2016, when Riyadh removed its diplomats after protesters attacked its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad in retaliation for the kingdom executing a prominent cleric, Nimr Al Nimr.
In Syria’s civil war, Riyadh supported the opposition while Tehran backed Mr Al Assad’s forces.
Mr Zarif said Damascus would welcome better relations with Riyadh.
“I am sure our Syrian brothers have always welcomed co-operation in the Arab world, he said. And we are also in that mood.”
Top Iran diplomat: Tehran ready for closer ties with Riyadh
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May 12, 2021
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1of3In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, second left front, receives his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, center, on his arrival to the airport, in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. Zarif said his country is ready for closer ties with its regional rival Saudi Arabia, saying Wednesday he hoped recent talks would lead to greater stability in the region. (SANA via AP)APShow MoreShow Less
2of3In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syria s Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, second right, receives his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif, second left, in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, May 12, 2021. Zarif said his country is ready for closer ties with its regional rival Saudi Arabia, saying Wednesday he hoped recent talks would lead to greater stability in the regio
Saudi Arabia-Iran rapprochement: What is driving push for diplomacy? middleeasteye.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from middleeasteye.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Iran protests Iraq over raid on diplomatic site
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TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s foreign ministry said Monday it “strongly condemns” Iraq’s raid on Tehran’s consulate in Karbala over the killing of a prominent activist.
Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh Monday told reporters that Iran late Sunday handed over a “letter of protest” to the Iraqi embassy in Tehran and urged the neighbouring Arab nations to pursue the case under international conventions.
“Iran strongly condemns attacks on its diplomatic sites in Iraq,” said Khatibzadeh in a weekly briefing in Tehran.
A day earlier, Iraqi protesters set fire to trailers belonging to Iran’s consulate in Karbala amid widespread anger over the killing of Ehab Wazni, an activist who took part in anti-government protests that swept Iraq in October 2019. He was shot overnight Saturday outside his home by unknown assailants.