Saudi FM denies any ‘mediation’ with Iran

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir denied on Tuesday that his country was “having any mediation” with Iran.

“With regard to mediation, we are not having any mediation,” the Saudi minister said, when a reporter asked him at the Royal Institute of International Affairs in London to comment on reports of Pakistan’s mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, reported a private TV channel.

“People come to us with ideas or suggestions and we give them our response. And our response is… here is what Iran needs to do and that’s it,” al-Jubeir said. “We would like to see actions rather than words.”

The remarks by the Saudi minister come days after Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi claimed that Saudi Arabia and Iran were willing to hold talks to defuse tensions in the Middle East.

Prime Minister Imran Khan visited both Iran and Saudi Arabia earlier this month. He held meetings with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. “Pakistan decided that it should play a role in defusing tensions as the entire region would be affected if the situation turned ugly,” the foreign minister told reporters in Islamabad on October 16.

Qureshi said the premier’s meetings with the Saudi and Iranian leaders were useful and both the regional powers were willing to hold talks.

Meanwhile, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud has hailed the efforts of Prime Minister Imran Khan for enhancement of bilateral cooperation and regional peace.

Chairing a meeting of the cabinet in Riyadh, he briefed the participants about the results of his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan. The meeting also reviewed prospects of bilateral cooperation, and discussed international efforts towards latest regional and international developments.

Minister of Media Turki bin Abdullah Al-Shabanah said in a statement the cabinet discussed the statements of friendly countries including, Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan citing emphasis on their unified position against the attacks on the Kingdom and the targeting of economic and energy infrastructure.