No date set for next Iran-Saudi talks

TEHRAN: Iranian state media reported on Sunday that no date has yet been set for further dialogue between Tehran and Riyadh, after other media reports said talks have been "temporarily suspended".

Relations between the regional rivals have been severed since early 2016. The two countries have held four rounds of talks in Iraq since April aimed at restoring ties. "No date has been set so far for a new round of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia," IRNA news agency reported.

"Some news sources claimed that the talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia were temporarily suspended," IRNA noted, while stressing that "Iran has not yet announced a specific date for the talks." Reports of Iran suspending participation in the dialogue came a day after Saudi Arabia announced that it had executed in just one day 81 people convicted of various crimes related to "terrorism", a record number.

Saudi official media stated that those executed belonged to the Islamic State group, "al-Qaeda and the terrorist Huthi movement, and other terrorist organizations hostile to the kingdom." In 2016, Iranian protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran after the kingdom executed revered cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Riyadh responded by cutting ties with Tehran.