As a further sign of rapprochement between Tehran and Riyadh, Iran has invited Saudi King Salman to visit Tehran, according to what was announced by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Monday. President Ebrahim Raisi was thus returning an invitation he had received to Saudi Arabia. No details were initially given on the date of the visit.

After a seven-year interruption, Iran and Saudi Arabia signed an agreement at the beginning of April to resume diplomatic relations. Embassies and consulates of both countries are to be reopened by 9 May. The rapprochement came about through China's mediation.

The countries are actually regional rivals. The background is religious, political and military tensions. Iran sees itself as the protecting power of the Shiites, while Saudi Arabia claims this role for Sunnis. Iran and Saudi Arabia support different sides in conflicts that have plagued the region for years, above all the civil wars in Yemen and Syria. Saudi Arabia, which now also maintains diplomatic relations with Israel, has also always sharply criticized Iran for its nuclear programme.

Sunni Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic relations with majority Shia Iran in early 2016 after the kingdom's embassy in Tehran was attacked by an angry crowd. This followed the execution of a Shiite cleric by Saudi Arabia in a mass execution.

However, Iran and Saudi Arabia have been arch-rivals for supremacy in the region for much longer. The two countries support different sides in conflicts that have plagued the region for years, most notably the wars in Yemen and Syria. The rivalry has shaped the Middle East region, especially in the last two decades. However, the rapprochement is not new. Unofficial talks between representatives of both countries have been taking place since 2021.