Iran and Saudi Arabia will mend relations under a pact mediated by China.

Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed on Friday to resume diplomatic ties and re-open embassies within the next two months, after seven years of tension. The agreement came after several days of talks in Beijing, and both countries agreed to reopen their embassies "within a period not exceeding two months" and commit to "non-interference" in each other's internal affairs. Additionally, Riyadh and Tehran said they would resume a security cooperation agreement signed in 2001, and work to enhance regional and international peace and security. Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2016, after protesters stormed its diplomatic outposts there following the kingdom's execution of a prominent Shia scholar. Previous rounds of talks aimed at resolving the tensions were held in Iraq and Oman in 2021 and 2022.

Successive US administrations have threatened Tehran with diplomatic or military consequences should it develop nuclear weapons, with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warning on Thursday that the US "will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon." Iran and Saudi Arabia support opposing sides in the civil wars in Yemen and Syria, while Iran backs the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon. In December, Tehran accused Saudi Arabia of inciting anti-government riots across Iran. Beijing's role in brokering the agreement is a major diplomatic win for China, but it was rejected by the US and NATO leadership and dismissed by Kiev.