Rouhani: Iran Has Clues about Oil Tanker Incident
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran has found clues as to what happened recently to the country’s ‘Sabiti’ oil tanker in Red Sea off the coast of Saudi Arabia and shared them with Pakistan.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, held in Tehran on Sunday, Rouhani said that during his talks with Khan earlier in the day, he has expressed Iran’s concerns about the security of oil tankers, particularly about the incident that happened to the Iranian oil tanker in the Red Sea on Friday.
“We provided the Pakistani prime minister with the clues we have found in this regard, and emphasized that we will continue our investigations until achieving a final result and ascertaining the main factors behind the attack on the Iranian oil tanker,” the president said.
“It is an absolute mistake for a country to think that it could create insecurity in the region without receiving a response,” Rouhani warned.
The president also noted that he and the Pakistani leader discussed a broad range of issues in their meeting, including the necessity for the promotion of economic ties between Tehran and Islamabad, the security of the common border, activities of the border markets, and regional issues.
“Iran and Pakistan are two neighboring and friendly countries with deep strategic relations, and both sides insist that these strategic relations should continue strongly,” Rouhani added.
“The Middle East region, particularly the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, is a very delicate region for the world, so we talked about the establishment of stability and sustainable peace in the region in our negotiations,” the president said.
Rouhani also noted that he has cautioned Pakistan against the Zionist regime’s threats to regional security, adding, “I also made it clear for Mr. Prime Minister that any act of goodwill and appropriate words would receive an appropriate and decent response as well.”
The Iranian president praised the Pakistani premier’s goodwill and efforts for the settlement of regional conflicts, saying Tehran would help plans for the restoration of regional peace and stability.
He also denounced the US sanctions against Iran as an act of economic terrorism, saying he and Imran Khan discussed ways to bring the 2015 Iran nuclear deal back to the right track.
“We also emphasized the basic and key point that in order for settling the problems, the US must return to the JCPOA and abandon the sanctions.”
Imran Khan has visited Iran for the second time in six months.