Iran said Monday that the latest round of talks with Saudi Arabia was "positive and serious" and voiced hope for further progress soon, AFP reported.

Tehran and Riyadh, which severed diplomatic ties in 2016, held four rounds of talks in Iraq between April and September last year, with a fifth meeting last Thursday.

"The fifth round of negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia in Baghdad ... was positive and serious and saw progress," foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters.