Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Sunday that he was taking a special initiative to defuse tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, particularly the ongoing conflict in Yemen.
"We do not want war between Saudi Arabia and Iran and we believe that their differences can be resolved through dialogue," Khan told a news conference in the Iranian capital with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
He added that his move is a special initiative to facilitate relations between Riyadh and Tehran and not to mediate, pointing out that the main reason for his visit to Iran is to work to reduce tension in the region, which he said does not need a new conflict or a new crisis.
For his part, the Iranian president welcomed any efforts by the Pakistani prime minister to achieve security and stability in the region, adding that his country would respond positively to any proposal for dialogue.
Rouhani said that he discussed with Khan the files of the region and stressed the need for stability, adding that the key to solving the problems is to end the love of Yemen, and to stop hostilities in this country immediately, and to provide assistance to Yemenis.
He also said that the solution to end the conflict in the region is dialogue between its countries and stop the war in Yemen, stressing that any country that believes that it can target the region without a response is wrong.
Shortly after his arrival in the Iranian capital, Khan met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and later Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and held talks with them, the official IRNA news agency said.
The Pakistani prime minister's office said earlier that Khan would return after his visit to Iran before heading to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.
Earlier, the Iranian government confirmed that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan conveyed to the Iranians a letter from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman asking for dialogue with Tehran.
With the growing talk of Pakistani mediation between the two countries, Tehran expressed its readiness to engage with Riyadh, with or without mediation to remove what it described as misunderstanding between the two parties.
Secret visit
For its part, quoted the "Express Tribune" Pakistani sources in the Pakistani government that the visits of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to Iran and Saudi Arabia preceded by an important secret visit of high-ranking Pakistani officials to both countries.
The newspaper said that Imran Khan decided to visit Tehran and Riyadh after Pakistani officials found a response from both sides to efforts to find a solution to the conflict between them.
Tensions have been high between Tehran and Riyadh over attacks on vital Saudi facilities, including the recent attack on Aramco facilities in the kingdom's eastern region, for which Riyadh said Iran was responsible.