Saudi investments in Iran possible if there’s a ‘goodwill’: Saudi finance minister

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed al-Jadaan said on Wednesday that investment opportunities in Iran are possible as long as there is a “goodwill.”

Al-Jadaan’s comments during the second edition of the Financial Sector Conference in Riyadh came days after Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed on restoring diplomatic ties through a Chinese mediation.

Al-Jadaan said that he doesn’t “see impediments” to normalizing ties reaching possible future investment opportunities as long as there is commitment to the agreement and sovereignty is respected.

He underscored that Saudi Arabia is committed to the principles of the agreement that was announced in a trilateral statement issued by the Kingdom, Iran and China last Friday.

Saudi Arabia had severed ties with Iran after two of its diplomatic posts were attacked in Tehran and Mashhad in 2016.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said earlier this week that the agreement with Iran to restore diplomatic ties confirms the mutual desire “to resolve differences through communication and dialogue,” but stressed that it doesn’t translate to “resolving all the differences between the two countries.”

“I think there a lot of opportunities in Iran and we [can] provide a lot of opportunities for them as long as goodwill continues,” al-Jadaan said.