TEHRAN — Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif Bin Rashid al-Zayani, spoke by phone on Friday to discuss future cooperation, as the two countries have been inching closer toward rapprochement and leaving behind years of strained relations. 

The two diplomats exchanged views on "continuation of talks within the framework of existing agreements," according to a readout published by the Iranian Foreign Ministry's website. Araghchi noted the importance the Islamic Republic is placing on ties with its neighbors, and both voiced hope that Tehran-Manama political dialogue would be pushed further in the future.

The conversation fell within a new framework created in a joint statement by the two countries in June, when they agreed "to establish the necessary mechanisms … to examine the resumption of political ties."

Tensions between the two flared to all-time highs in 2016, as Bahrain followed Saudi Arabia in severing diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic after Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran were stormed and ransacked by hard-line Iranian mobs. The violent protests had been sparked by the execution by Saudi Arabia of prominent, outspoken Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.