Iran says it's prepared for dialogue if Saudi Arabia also ready
Iran
is prepared for dialogue if Saudi Arabia is also ready, Iranian Foreign
Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday, according to the IRIB news
agency.
Tensions
have spiked between Iran and Saudi Arabia, arch-rivals for predominance in the
Middle East, since Riyadh accused Tehran of carrying out attacks that damaged
six oil tankers in the Gulf, an allegation Tehran has denied.
“If
Saudi Arabia is ready for dialogue, we are always ready for dialogue with our
neighbors,” Zarif said. “We have never closed the door to dialogue with our
neighbors and we will never close the door to dialogue with our neighbors.”
The
attacks on the oil tankers came as the United States, Saudi Arabia’s major big
power ally, toughened sanctions on Iran in a bid to force it into negotiations
on stricter limits to its nuclear activity and curbs on its ballistic missile
program.
Saudi
Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman called in mid-June on the
international community to take a “decisive stand” over the tanker attacks but
said the kingdom did not want a war in the region.
Zarif
also said Iran could hold similar talks with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a
close ally of the Saudis, adding, “If they change their policies it is a very
good opportunity for dialogue.”
Iran
had maritime security talks on Tuesday with the UAE in an apparent bid to calm
tensions in the Gulf, though a Gulf Arab official described the discussions as
routine and technical.