TEHRAN: Iran said Monday it has formally invited Saudi King Salman to visit Tehran, following a reconciliation agreement reached last month between the two sides.

Saudi Arabia severed relations with Iran in 2016, after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in the northwestern city of Mashhad were attacked during protests over Riyadh’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

The two Middle East powerhouses had held several rounds of dialogue in Iraq and Oman before reaching the agreement to mend ties on March 10 in China.

On Monday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said President Ebrahim Raisi had “invited the Saudi King to visit Iran”.

Kanani said the Iranian president had already received an invitation to visit the Sunni-ruled kingdom.