The Council of Ministers in Saudi Arabia, headed by King Salman bin Abdulaziz, expressed on Tuesday its aspiration to open a new phase of relations with Iran.

King Salman presided over the session of the Council of Ministers at the Peace Palace in Jeddah.

During the session, the Council "reviewed the measures taken toward implementing the agreement to resume diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran, including having ambassadors from both countries carrying out their duties," the state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

The Saudi Council also expressed hope that the new relations between the two countries "will be based on common interests and mutual respect."

This comes a few days after Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian visited Saudi Arabia last Thursday, heading a delegation in response to an invitation by his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan.

During the visit, Amir-Abdollahian met with the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and the two sides discussed bilateral relations, future cooperation opportunities between Iran and Saudi Arabia, and ways to enhance and develop them.

Iran's top diplomat's visit came two months after bin Farhan's visit to Tehran, which was the first for a Saudi foreign minister since 2006, where they held talks on security, economy, tourism, and transportation issues.

It is noteworthy that on August 6, the Saudi embassy in Iran resumed its operations in the country, according to an Iranian official cited by Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). On June 6, an Iranian source told Al Mayadeen that the Iranian embassy in Riyadh officially launched its work.

After seven years of strained ties, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed in early March to restore diplomatic relations and reopen missions in respective countries after a series of talks brokered in Beijing, China under the auspices of Chinese President Xi Jinping.