ISLAMABAD – Saudi Arabialink and Iranlink have taken stepstoward indirect talks to defuse tensions in the Middle East, with Riyadhrequesting Iraq and Pakistan to speak with the Iranian leadership aboutde-escalation, according to the New York Times.
In a report on Saturday, the Times said Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammedbin Salmanlink (MBS)asked the leaders of Iraq and Pakistan to intervene in the wake of the attackson two Saudi oil facilitieslinkonSeptember 14.
The United Stateslink and SaudiArabia blamed their arch-foe Iran for the attacks, which knocked out fivepercent of the global crude supply, despite Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimingresponsibility for them.
But the Times reported that US President Donald Trump’s refusal to order amilitary response “raised questions for the Saudis about the Americancommitment to Saudi security, which has underpinned the strategic layout ofthe Persian Gulf for decades”.
Advertisement
The US’s lack of action “prompted Saudi Arabia to seek its own solution tothe conflict,” it added.
The Saudi government told the Times that Baghdad and Islamabad had offeredto mediate talks, but denied the move was at MBS’ request.
Tehran has meanwhile said it is open to hold talks with Riyadh.
“Iran is open to starting a dialogue with Saudi Arabia and other countriesin the region,” Ali Larijani, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, told AlJazeera in an interviewlinkbroadcastlast week.
“An Iranian-Saudi dialogue could solve many of the region’s security andpolitical problems,” he added.’I want to avoid war’
Read Top Stories
The Times, citing unnamed Iraqi and Pakistani officials, said MBS askedPakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khanlink to mediate duringa meeting in Jeddah last month. Khan’s two-day visit ran from September 19to 20.
The crown prince told Khan “I want to avoid war”, the senior Pakistaniofficial told the Times. Afterwards, Khan spoke to Iran’s President HassanRouhani link atthe sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
When Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi visited Jeddah on September 25,MBS made the same request, according to a senior Iraqi official who spoketo the Times on the condition of anonymity.
The official said Iraq had suggested its capital, Baghdad, as the venue fora potential meeting between Saudi and Iranian leaders.
Saudi Arabia and Iran have taken opposing sides on various conflicts in theMiddle East, including the wars in Yemen and Syria. Riyadh has also backedTrump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, in which the US leaderimposed punishing sanctions against Tehran after Washington abandoned alandmark deal that curbed Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Analysts told the Times that any reconciliation between the two regionalpowers would have far-reaching consequences, particularly on Trump’sefforts to isolate Iran.
Rouhani turned down a meeting with Trump at the UNGA, ruling outlinkanytalks between the two countries until Washington lifted its sanctions. Healso invited regional countries to join a “coalition for hope”, which hesaid would pledge non-aggression and non-interference in one another’saffairs.
Abdul Mahdi told Al Jazeera last week that he believeslinkSaudiArabia is looking to de-escalate tensions with its arch foe.
