Dhaka, May 19 -- Saudi Arabia's low-cost airline Flynas has resumed transporting Iranian Hajj pilgrims for the first time in over a decade, marking a significant step in the thawing of relations between Riyadh and Tehran.

According to a Saudi civil aviation official, Flynas began flights last Saturday from Tehran's Imam Khomeini Airport and plans to operate from Mashhad as well. Over 35,000 Iranian pilgrims are expected to travel to Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj, which formally begins in early June.

These flights are not commercial but solely intended for Hajj purposes, the official emphasized.

Iran-Saudi ties were severed in 2016 following the execution of Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia, which sparked protests and attack...