Russia Ready to Host Talks between Iran, Saudi Arabia

Deputy FM Mikhail Bogdanov says Moscow is willing to mediate in establishing relations between Tehran and Riyadh, and is ready to host the talks between the two sides.

“We tried several times and offered [to help Iran and Saudi Arabia sit down at the negotiating table], but we do not impose our intermediary role,” Bogdanov told reporters, according to Sputnik.

“But we have always told our partners in both Saudi Arabia and Iran that we are ready to provide both a platform for contacts and friendly services.”

Bogdanov added that Moscow has always stressed the need to resolve the issues between Tehran and Riyadh.

“Many problems would have been much easier to resolve had there been mutual understanding and trust between the Islamic Republic and Saudi Arabia,” added Bogdanov.

Bogdanov emphasized that Moscow always tells Tehran and Riyadh that it is ready to report something from one side to another or to organize bilateral contacts. “These proposals remain on the table both with our Saudi and Iranian partners,” he highlighted.

Diplomatic ties between the Islamic Republic and the Arab kingdom were severed in 2016 after Iranian protesters attacked the Saudi embassy in Tehran, following the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Riyadh.