International Desk: Iran says Saudi Arabia has invited Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi for an official visit – just over a week since the countries agreed to restore diplomatic relations, reports BBC.

The invitation is said to have come in a letter from King Salman, but has not yet been confirmed by the Saudis.

The Middle East’s recent history has been dominated by hostility between the two nations.

China brokered the thaw, which could reshape the region’s geopolitics.

A senior Iranian official, Mohammad Jamshidi, tweeted about the invitation to visit the Saudi capital, Riyadh, saying Mr Raisi had welcomed it and “stressed Iran’s readiness to expand co-operation”.

Separately, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told reporters that the two countries had agreed to hold a meeting at foreign minister level, and that three possible locations had been proposed.

He did not name the locations, nor say when the meeting might take place.

The BBC’s Middle East Editor, Sebastian Usher, says the recent improvement in bilateral relations, which came unexpectedly following days of talks brokered by China, appears to be building serious momentum.

Both have announced they will reopen embassies within two months and re-establish trade and security relations.