Tehran hopes that Saudi Arabia will engage in a dialogue to alleviate the worsening situation in the Middle East, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday
TEHRAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2019) Tehran hopes that Saudi Arabia will engage in a dialogue to alleviate the worsening situation in the middle East, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday.On Sunday, in an interview with the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused Iran of attacking two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and called on the international community to take a "firm position" on the matter.
"Iran hopes that Saudi Arabia will leave the wrong path, which did not bring anything to the region except war and damage, and, taking a step toward building trust, will follow a new path based on dialogue and interaction to reduce tensions," Mousavi said in a statement.
He reproached Saudi Arabia for failing to understand the changes taking place in the region, noting that Riyadh relied on a militaristic, conflict-oriented approach aimed at heightening tensions to "pocket other countries' riches."
On Thursday, two oil tankers, Kokuka Courageous and Front Altair, suffered explosions and fires in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. While the causes of the incident remain unknown, the United States claimed that Iran had attacked the vessels, albeit without providing any evidence to support its claims. The US military subsequently released a video showing alleged Iranian forces removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers, but the footage did not show any boat Names or flags that could help substantiate the claims.
Iran has denied all the allegations.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has, meanwhile, warned against attempting to lay the blame on Iran before any thorough investigation into the incident was completed.
