Iran, Saudi Arabia to sign criminal extradition MoU: Iran's Salehi

“A memorandum of understanding has been prepared and Iran and Saudi Arabia are due to sign it, under which criminals (of both countries) will be extradited so that they receive punishment in their respective countries,” Salehi announced on Tuesday.

    The Iranian foreign minister expressed Iran's willingness to have the ‘best relations’ with its neighbors, saying the Islamic Republic seeks peace and stability in the region.

The announcement by the Iranian foreign minister comes following the executions of a number of Iranian nationals by Saudi Arabia.

On April 18, Saudi officials had executed eight Iranian sailors in the eastern city of Dammam without any legal proceedings.

According to the Saudi Al-Tagheer news channel, the executions were carried out on April 15 on the order of the Saudi Interior Ministry.

On May 30, the Persian-language Tabnak news website reported that Saudi officials in Dammam had executed 10 more Iranian citizens.

The website added that a total of 25 Iranians had been kept at Dammam prison of whom, 18 had been executed in two stages.

    After reports about the execution of Iranian inmates in Saudi jails were confirmed, Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi Arabian charge d’affaires on June 11.

The Foreign Ministry expressed the Islamic Republic’s strong objection to the executions, announcing that Tehran will pursue the case by means of relevant bodies.

The prisoners were Iranian sailors who were arrested on a fishing boat in international waters 70 miles off the coast of Saudi Arabia six years ago on charges of drug possession.