Iranian News Agency Denies Security Chief Met With Senior Saudi Official

An Iranian news website has denied that national security council secretary Ali Shamkhani has met with a senior Saudi official.

Iran’s Nour News close to the national security council has denied recent reports that Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the council, has met with a top Saudi official.

Quoting “an informed source” at Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Nour News said, “There have been no meetings or contacts between Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Security Council, and Saudi officials.”

The denial issued on Wednesday was apparently a response to reports on social media that said Shamkhani had met with Adel Jubair, advisor to Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry. Nour News added that there are no plans for a meeting.

Iranian and Saudi officials had a series of meeting in Baghdad in April with Iraqi mediation to reduce their long-running tensions. At the time, it was rumored that Shamkhani was the lead negotiator meeting with Saudis.

In the past two days, reports by news agencies have indicated that a new meeting between Iranian and Saudi ministers has taken place in Baghdad, but did not offer any details.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic relations with Iran in early 2016, after mobs attacked and ransacked its diplomatic missions in Iran.

A regional summit convened in Baghdad in September included the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia but no bilateral meetings between the sides was reported.