The United States has said it welcomes a Chinese-brokered thaw in relations between rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia but expressed doubts that Tehran will follow through on its commitments.
White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that "we welcome" the diplomatic deal if, for example, it leads to peace in Yemen, where the two regional powers back opposing sides.
"We'll see. It really does remain to be seen whether the Iranians are going to honor their side of the deal. This is not a regime that typically does honor its word," Kirby said.
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed earlier on March 10 to reestablish relations after seven years of hostility that had threatened stability and security in the Persian Gulf and helped fuel conflicts in the Middle East from Yemen to Syria.
The deal was announced after four days of previously undisclosed talks in Beijing between top security officials from the two rival Middle East powers.
Tehran and Riyadh agreed "to resume diplomatic relations between them and reopen their embassies and missions within a period not exceeding two month," according to a statement issued by Iran, Saudi Arabia and China.
