Switzerland will handle Saudi Arabia affairs in Iran

Switzerland will handle Saudi Arabia’s consular affairs in Iran and will facilitate Iranian pilgrims coming to the kingdom, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on Sunday, following a diplomatic dispute between Riyadh and Tehran.

“Switzerland offered to ... handle the (consular) interests of Saudi Arabia in Iran, and we in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia appreciated that and accepted,” Adel al-Jubeir told a joint news conference with his Swiss counterpart.

Relations worsened between the regional arch-rivals over Saudi Arabia’s January 2 execution of a prominent Saudi Shia cleric. That led Iranian protesters to storm Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, after which Riyadh severed relations.

Mr Jubeir said there was no need for mediation in the rift, citing what he described as Iran’s long pattern of interference in regional conflicts.

The Islamic Republic said last week that Tehran and Riyadh must overcome their strained relations and work for stability in Syria and the Middle East.