Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Jeddah, marking the first visit by a senior Iranian official to the kingdom since Tehran’s 12-day war with Israel last month.
The meeting held on Tuesday focused on bilateral relations and regional developments, according to the Saudi state news agency SPA.
Araghchi also held talks with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Defence Minister Khalid bin Salman.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei described the meetings as "fruitful" in a post on X.
The visit comes amid renewed diplomatic signals between Tehran and Washington, with Araghchi revealing that he and US President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, had been close to reaching a historic breakthrough before the war with Israel erupted in mid-June.
Iranian desire for diplomacy
In an opinion piece published in the Financial Times, Araghchi wrote: "In just five meetings over nine weeks, the US envoy and I achieved more than I had during four years of failed nuclear negotiations with the Biden administration. We were 48 hours away from a decisive sixth meeting when Israel launched its air strikes on June 13."
He added that Iran remains open to diplomacy but has reason to doubt whether further talks are possible without stronger US commitment.
"If there is a desire to resolve this issue, the United States must demonstrate a genuine readiness for a fair agreement," he wrote.
Araghchi also said Iran had received new messages suggesting Washington may be willing to return to the negotiating table, and reiterated that Iran is committed to a peaceful nuclear programme under UN oversight.
On the recent conflict with Israel, Araghchi said Tehran responded forcefully to aggression and rejected any suggestion that restraint signalled weakness.
"Iran resisted the assault until Israel had to rely on President Trump to end the war it started," he said, warning that Iran would repel any future attack.
US President Donald Trump confirmed on Monday that talks with Iran have been scheduled.
"They want to talk," he said during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
