Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said Tehran welcomes efforts by intermediaries to mediate between Tehran and Riyadh. "We've always been open to discussing anything with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia is our neighbor. We're going to be here together permanently," Mohammad Javad Zarif told Turkey's news channel.

We don't have any choice but to talk to each other, and we have been open to talking to Saudi Arabia either directly or through intermediaries," he added. When asked about the upcoming visit of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan to Tehran, the top diplomat said, "We've never rejected any intermediary... We've always been open to mediation, and we've always been open to direct talks with our Saudi neighbours.

Copyright Independent News Pakistan, 2019