Iran’s leaders have invited their regional rival Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdelaziz for an official visit.
The move, which is part of a rapprochement between the two countries, was announced yesterday by Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani in Tehran.
An invitation sent by Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi had been accepted, he said.
Iran and Saudi Arabia want to resume bilateral relations after seven years of diplomatic cold war.
Both countries are struggling for political and military influence in the region.
A rapprochement could lead to major changes in the region, including in the civil war country of Yemen, where the countries support rival sides.
A meeting of the two countries’ foreign ministers in China brokered the rapprochement.
The next step is for the regional powers to reopen their embassies in each other’s countries.
Local media reports that Aliresa Enajati, director-general at the foreign ministry for the Gulf region, said a reopening was planned for May 9, this year.
Britain’s Prime Minister Sunak faces probe over interest declaration
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under investigation after facing allegations of a possible failure to declare the shares his wife holds in a childcare agency that was boosted by the budget.
Parliament’s standards watchdog opened the inquiry into the prime minister under rules demanding lawmakers are “open and frank” when declaring their interests.
The investigation relates to the shares Akshata Murty holds in Koru Kids, a government source told the PA news agency yesterday.
The government said the prime minister will clarify how it was declared as a ministerial interest, rather than to the Commons.
As lawmakers returned from their Easter break, an update from Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg showed he had opened the investigation under the Commons code of conduct on Thursday.
“Members must always be open and frank in declaring any relevant interest in any proceeding of the House or its committees, and in any communications with ministers, members, public officials or public office holders,” the relevant section reads.
A government spokeswoman responded: “We are happy to assist the commissioner to clarify how this has been transparently declared as a ministerial interest.”
Sunak faced demands to “come clean” about his family shares last month after being questioned by lawmakers over why the childcare policy favoured private firms.
Appearing before the Liaison Committee, he did not mention Ms Murty’s shares in the firm, in which she has been listed as a shareholder on Companies House.
A fortnight earlier, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a pilot of incentive payments of £600 ($740) for childminders joining the profession.
Questioning why the sum doubles to £1,200 if workers sign up through an agency, Labour MP Catherine McKinnell asked if Sunak had any interests to declare.
“No, all my disclosures are declared in the normal way,” Sunak said.