Iran ready for "changes" in ties with Saudi Arabia: spokesman

Iran is fully ready for changes in its relations with Saudi Arabia on regional issues, according to the Foreign Ministry on Monday.

"If there is a serious will in Saudi official, Iran is fully ready for the change in the current climate of bilateral relations so that it meets the interests of both countries," spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said in his weekly press conference.

The improvement of bilateral ties can pave the way for adaptation of serious measures to settle the crises in the Middle East region, he said.

To this end, there have been some contacts between the officials of the two countries on the sidelines of recent international meetings, he added.

Earlier, the spokesman said that Iran was ready to reformulate its relations with neighbors to find ways for problems in the region, which would benefit both Iran and the regional countries.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that Iran was ready for talks with Saudi Arabia for the good of the region and to solve problems inflicted on the regional countries.

Saudi Arabia has long accused Iran of arming and financing Houthi Shiite fighters in Yemen, which was strongly rejected by Tehran.

Iran and Saudi Arabia are also divided over a number of other regional issues including the situations in Syria, Bahrain and Iraq. Endit