The United States supports talks between the Middle East rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia though Washington's stance has nothing to do with the diplomatic process reportedly taking place in Iraq, Acting US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Joey Hood said on Monday
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th May, 2021) The United States supports talks between the middle East rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia though Washington's stance has nothing to do with the diplomatic process reportedly taking place in Iraq, Acting US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Joey Hood said on Monday.
"We support these talks. We don't have anything to do with them," Hood said during a Brookings Institution webinar.
Earlier on Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh was quoted as confirming for the first time that Tehran is in deescalation talks with Saudi Arabia.
US media had reported in April that Iraq mediated and hosted "the first major political conversation" between the two states since they cut diplomatic ties in 2016.
Hood said that the United States supports the Iraqi government's "outreach and reintegration to all different parts of the region and playing that role as a convener rather than a battleground."
