Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian stated on Thursday that his country is ready to build two power stations in Lebanon, one in Beirut and the other in the south. He added during a press conference during his visit to Lebanon that the construction of the stations will take only 18 months. He also indicated that Iran is prepared to assist in rebuilding the port of Beirut, which was destroyed by the explosion in August 2020, if the Lebanese side requests it.
On another note, the minister mentioned that talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia have made "good progress." Iran and Saudi Arabia, the major powers in the Middle East, have been competing for years and support allies engaged in proxy wars in Yemen, Syria, and elsewhere. Diplomatic relations between the two countries have been cut off since 2016.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan confirmed on Sunday that the Kingdom's government held the first round of direct talks with the new Iranian government last month as part of a process initiated earlier this year to reduce tensions. Iraq hosted three rounds of Saudi-Iranian talks in the months leading up to the inauguration of the new Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, in August. Prince Faisal stated that the latest round took place on September 21, but did not mention where. This coincided with Raisi's speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
