Saudi Arabia and Iran have agreed to resume diplomatic relations after a seven-year hiatus, writes the Financial Times.

The decision comes as part of a Chinese-brokered deal that aims to ease tensions in the oil-rich region..

It is assumed that within two months after the conclusion of the agreement, the work of embassies will resume and agreements on cooperation in the field of security will be activated..

Iran-Saudi agreement is a victory for Chinese diplomacy and highlights Beijing's growing influence in the Middle East. It is also a challenge to the US, whose traditionally strong relationship with Riyadh has recently cooled.. Earlier, Iran and Saudi Arabia held several rounds of talks organized by Iraq and Oman..

Anna Jacobs, senior Gulf analyst at think tank Crisis Group, called the agreement a "

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council who was in Beijing for the talks, said the basis for the deal was laid at a meeting last month in Beijing between President Ibrahim Raisi and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping..

“The visit paved the way for new and very serious talks between the Iranian and Saudi delegations. Clearing misunderstandings and looking to the future can help develop stability and regional security,” Shamkhani told state-run Nournews..

Xi visited Saudi Arabia late last year and attended summits with Arab leaders..

China's top diplomat Wang I called the agreement a "

Saudi Arabia and Iran ended ties in 2016 after Iranian protesters stormed the kingdom's mission, outraged by the execution of a Shiite cleric.. Three years later, Saudi Arabia and Western countries accused Iran of orchestrating a drone attack on a Saudi oil plant..

Riyadh has also stood on the opposite side of Iran in the conflict in Syria:

the kingdom supported rebel groups against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, while Iran and Russia supported Assad.

On July 15 last year, US President Joe Biden visited Saudi Arabia as part of his tour of the Middle East..

In February, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, paid an official visit to Kyiv for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine..

The result of this meeting was the humanitarian aid provided by Saudi Arabia to Ukraine for $400 million..