The Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, affirmed the seriousness of the Saudi position on negotiations with Iran, pointing to insufficient progress to fully restore diplomatic relations.

Bin Farhan's words came in statements to the Financial Times newspaper, where he indicated that his country is studying the possibility of allowing Iran to reopen its consulate in Jeddah.

The Foreign Minister spoke of the four rounds of negotiations that have taken place between Riyadh and Tehran since last April, describing them as friendly and exploratory, adding that Saudi Arabia considers this a "major shift," detailing that they have previously expressed their intention to attain stability in the region.

Earlier,  Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh divulged that Iran has conducted several rounds of talks with the Saudi government in Baghdad during the past months, noting that there is serious progress in talks on Gulf security.