Amid ongoing tensions in the Persian Gulf region, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Thursday reaffirmed that Tehran is ready for talks with all its neighbours.
Taking to Twitter, the foreign minister said, “Iran remains open to dialogue with its neighbours, and we declare our readiness to participate in any complementary work that is in the interest of the region, and we welcome any step that restores hope to its people and brings them stability and prosperity,”
تبقی ايران منفتحة للحوار مع جاراتها و نعلن عن استعدادنا للمشارکة في أي عمل تکاملي يصب في مصلحة المنطقة ونرحّب بأي خطوة تعيد الأمل إلی شعوبها وتأتي لها بالإستقرار والإزدهار
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) January 23, 2020
The tweet came a day after Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Riyadh was ready for talks with Tehran, “but it is really up to Iran”.
The Saudi Foreign Minister made the remarks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding that he was glad the region has “avoided any escalation” with Iran, and “many countries” have offered to mediate talks with Tehran.
Earlier this week, during his weekly press conference, while talking to reporters, Mousavi said Zarif was scheduled to attend the Davos meeting, but “they abruptly changed the schedule despite the primary planning and the official invitation”.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the WEF, which runs until on Thursday. The theme for this year’s gathering is �Stakeholders for a Cohesive and Sustainable World’, The Express Tribune reported.
Addressing to the 74th session of the UN General Assembly in September 2019, President Hassan Rouhani said as a steward of maritime security in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, Iran invites all countries that are affected by developments in the strategic region to join the country’s new regional peace initiative, dubbed Hormuz Peace Endeavour (HOPE).
On January 16, Zarif said that his country was interested in diplomacy but not in negotiating with the US.
Zarif also claimed that General Soleimani was the single biggest threat to ISIS and his killing was now being celebrated by the terror group and US President Donald Trump.
Last week, Iran launched over a dozen ballistic missiles targeting at least two bases where US military and coalition forces are stationed in Iraq.
Qasem Soleimani’s killing has been the most dramatic escalation yet in spiralling tensions between Iran and the US.
In 2019, in May, Zarif had said that Iran sought the best of relations with the Persian Gulf littoral countries and would welcome any proposals for dialogue and de-escalation toward that end.