ISLAMABAD: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Wednesday appreciated Pakistan’s mediation efforts to end the Iran war, calling on Iran to urgently respond to attempts to advance peace negotiations with the US amid renewed tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The Saudi foreign minister’s statement came after US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he was holding off a military attack on Iran planned for Tuesday at the request of Gulf states as “serious negotiations are now taking place.”
In a statement on social media platform X, Farhan said Riyadh appreciates Trump’s decision to “give diplomacy a chance” to reach an acceptable agreement to end the Iran war.
“Saudi Arabia also highly appreciates the ongoing mediation efforts carried out by Pakistan in this regard,” the Saudi minister wrote.
“Saudi Arabia looks forward to Iran seizing the opportunity to avoid the dangerous implications of escalation and urgently responding to the efforts to advance the negotiations leading up to a comprehensive agreement to achieve lasting peace in the region and the world.”
Pakistan has positioned itself as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran in recent months. Islamabad hosted the first round of talks between the two sides in April that failed to achieve a breakthrough.
Pakistani officials have been in contact with leaders in Iran and the US since the war started in February, relaying messages and peace proposals between the two sides. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Wednesday, his second visit to the country in five days, and held talks with his counterpart on the latest regional security situation.
Although a fragile ceasefire between the US and Iran since Apr. 8 still remains in place, peace talks between the two sides have stalled. Both sides differ over Iran’s uranium enrichment program and regional security matters.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated again following warnings by US President Donald Trump that his country could resume strikes on Iran within days if no settlement is reached.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned on Wednesday that any renewed attacks by the US or Israel would trigger a broader regional conflict.
“If the aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will this time spread far beyond the region,” the Guards said in a statement reported by AFP.
