Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's initiative for peace with Iran and said he hoped they could work together to secure peace, in the wake of moves to allay frictions between the two countries, Reuters said Friday.
"We welcome the KSA initiative for peace with Iran. Iran is our neighbour and KSA our closest friend. This peace initiative will strengthen the Muslim Ummah," Geo News quoted Khan as saying in a tweet.
For his part, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said he wants "good relations" with Iran. The prince told Al Arabiya TV that the Kingdom wanted Iran to help push the Middle East towards peace and prosperity, BBC reported.
That marks a change in tone compared to Prince Mohammed's previous statements, in which he slammed Tehran, alleging the Islamic republic was fuelling regional insecurity.
The Crown Prince added Saudi Arabia was working with its regional and global partners "to find solutions to these problems."
The comments by Prince Mohammed are more measured than in previous years. In 2018, he compared the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's Supreme Leader, to Adolf Hitler.
Sunni power Saudi Arabia and Shi'ite Muslim power Iran cut their diplomatic relations in 2016 and have been engaged in decades of proxy wars across the Middle East. Pakistan has already offered to mediate between the two rivals.
"With constructive views and a dialogue-oriented approach, Iran and Saudi Arabia... can enter a new chapter of interaction and cooperation to achieve peace, stability and regional development," Iranian media quoted foreign ministry representative Saeed Khatibzadeh as saying.
Regional sources have said Iranian and Saudi officials held direct talks in Iraq this month aimed at easing tensions, with discussions focused on Yemen and efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement with Tehran, U.S. News reported.
