City
Epaper

Imran to embark on Saudi, Iran trip on Saturday

By IANS | Updated: October 11, 2019 09:45 IST

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will on Saturday embark on a trip for mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, officials disclosed.

Open in App

Khan would first travel to Iran where he will have a night stay. His meeting with President Hassan Rouhani has been scheduled for Sunday. He will later in the day go to Riyadh for meetings with the Saudi leadership, reports Dawn news.

Speaking at the weekly media briefing on Thursday, Foreign Office spokesman Mohammad Faisal confirmed Khan's upcoming trip.

"The visits of the Prime Minister to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran are on the cards," he said without giving dates for the trip.

"I will update you as and when things unfold."

The mediation initiative is being taken at the request of Saudi Arabia. Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had during Khan's last visit to Saudi Arabia asked him to help defuse tensions with Iran as Riyadh wanted to avoid war, according to Faisal.

Tensions have been brewing between Tehran and Riyadh since the September 14 drone attacks on a Saudi oil facility and a processing plant.

Although the Yemeni Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility, both Saudi Arabia and the US have blamed Iran for the drone strikes - a charge Tehran has strongly rebutted.

On the sidelines of the UNGA session in New York last month, Khan met Rouhani as part of the diplomatic push to defuse the Middle East tensions.

To follow up the discussions, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi thrice met his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif in New York.

( With inputs from IANS )

Tags: iranSaudi ArabiaRiyadhHassan RouhaniMohammad Bin Salman
Open in App

Related Stories

InternationalIran Blast: Over 400 Injured After Container Explosion at Bandar Abbas Port; Horrific Video Surfaces Online

NationalPahalgam Terror Attack: PM Modi Cuts Short Saudi Arabia Visit, To Return to India Early

National‘Ae Watan…’: PM Narendra Modi Claps as Saudi Singer Hashim Abbas Sings Indian Patriotic Song to Welcome Him in Jeddah

InternationalPM Modi Saudi Visit: KSA Fighter Jets Escort Prime Minister's Plane (Watch Video)

InternationalWhy Has Saudi Arabia Banned Visas for These Countries, Including India?

International Realted Stories

InternationalForeign Minister Sa'ar dismisses ICJ hearing on Israel as 'ridiculous'

InternationalPrime Minister Netanyahu meets with a delegation of ambassadors to the UN

InternationalIndian diaspora in France condemns Pahalgam terror attack, warns Pakistan

InternationalNetanyahu says elimination of Hezbollah leader 'smashed Iranian axis'

InternationalUkraine's frontline situation remains difficult, Zelenskyy calls for "more tangible pressure on Russia"