Pakistan Premier to Help Low Iran, Saudi Row

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held talks Sunday in Tehran with the aim of calming rising tensions in the Gulf and mediating between regional enemies Iran and Saudi Arabia.

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Pakistan's prime minister arrived to Tehran as part of the first phase of a tour that also includes a stop in Saudi Arabia next Tuesday.

At a press conference, the Pakistani leader talked about the mediation work he seeks to do, saying "the reason for this trip is that we do not want a conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran”.

Frictions between Tehran and Riyadh have increased following the Sept. 14 attack on Saudi oil facilities when the United States and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the attack.

Tehran denied having taken part in the attack. On Friday, an Iranian oil tanker called Sabiti was damaged by two separate explosions in front of the Saudi port of Jeddah, an event that could give way to a new rise in tensions between both countries.

Kahn also expressed that the president of the U.S. Donald Trump had approached him to facilitate the dialogue between Iran and the U.S.

On the same line, Rouhani said that the talks will take place when the North American nation returns to the nuclear agreement and lifts the sanctions imposed on his country.

"Any gesture of goodwill and good words will be matched by a gesture of goodwill and good words, but If a nation thinks that it can cause tension in the region and not receive a proper response, it is mistaken" he said.