Imran Khan says he will try to facilitate Saudi-Iran talks

After arriving in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday in a bid to reduce the rising tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a joint statement with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani.

"Pakistan does not want conflict between Iran and Saudi Arabia...I am happy to facilitate talks between Tehran and Riyadh...I am very hopeful as I had constructive talks with the [Iranian] president" Khan said.

Khan thanked Rouhani for his speech mentioning Kashmir at the UN General Assembly, and said that he did not want another conflict. “Mr. President, the main reason I came here with my delegation is that we don’t want conflict in the region. Pakistan suffered 70,000 casualties in the last 15 years in the ‘war on terror’, Afghanistan is still suffering, [there is terrible devastation in Syria—we don’t want another conflict in this part of the world.”

Rouhani said he welcomed the gesture and that he had discussed the possibility of restoring the US-Iran nuclear deal, with Khan. “I told Prime Minister Imran we welcome any gesture by Pakistan for peace in the region and appreciate his visit to our country.”

Khan’s arrived in Tehran comes after suspected missile attacks struck an Iranian oil tankers in the Red Sea—in what appears to be a tit-for-tat response to the suspected Iranian involvement in the attacks on Aramco oil facilities in September.

That month, Khan said that US President Donald Trump had asked himto play a role in reducing tensions between the two countries.

Pakistan has been trying to improve ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia due its close ties with both nations. Former premier Nawaz Sharif also visited the two capitals in 2016 to seek a reduction in their differences.

Khan will later meet with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

With inputs from PTI