Germany Sees No Need for Mediation in Iran-Saudi Row
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – German foreign minister said Tehran and Riyadh seem not to need any mediator for rapprochement, after Saudi Arabia’s severance of diplomatic ties with Iran.
Speaking at a joint press conference with his Iranian counterpart in Tehran on Tuesday evening, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier played down expectations for mediation between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
He said Iran has voiced readiness for negotiations to improve the soured relations with Saudis.
Steinmeier noted that he is going to visit Saudi Arabia after Iran.
As regards the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a lasting nuclear deal between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany), the top German diplomat said the accord makes the region and the world safer.
He noted that his second trip to Tehran in only three months signifies that Berlin has much to talk about with the Iranians.
For his part, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reiterated that Tehran has never sought tension with Riyadh.
He then deplored Saudis for their obstructionism and hostile measures against Iran after normalization of ties between Tehran and the West under the JCPOA.
“Iran is a big regional power that pursues rational and constructive relations with all neighbors,” Zarif added, calling on Saudi Arabia to set aside the confusion after the JCPOA and resort to rationality.
Zarif further noted that talks with Steinmeier involved a range of issues, including the expansion of Tehran-Berlin political and economic relations, the threat posed by terrorism and extremism, and the problems in Syria and Afghanistan.
