Iran to Open Interests Section Office in Saudi Arabia

The agreement was signed by the Iranian Foreign Ministry’s director general for the Persian Gulf, Mohammad Farazmand, and the Swiss ambassador to Tehran, Markus Leitner, in Tehran on Wednesday.

Once the arrangements are finalized, the Iranian interests section office will open in the Saudi city of Jeddah.

In a statement, the Swiss government said it will act as a go-between for Iran and Saudi Arabia.

“Switzerland has a long history of representing foreign interests whereby it covers partial consular services and sometimes diplomatic tasks for countries that have broken off relations, if requested by the states in question,” it said.

Tensions ran high between Tehran and Riyadh after Saudi Arabia’s execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in January 2016, and a subsequent attack by outraged Iranian protesters on the Saudi embassy in Tehran, which resulted in the Arab country’s decision to sever its ties with the Islamic Republic.

The controversial move was preceded by a deadly crush of Hajj pilgrims in September 2015, which killed more than 460 Iranians.