Nawaz Sharif visits Tehran to defuse Saudi-Iran row

China is set to display its most diplomatic show as Xi Jinping is set to balance ties with Saudi Arabia and Iran, a strategic ally sitting at the crossroads of Xi’s Silk Road plan to build railways, pipelines and other infrastructure from Asia to Europe.

“Clearly now there are tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran, so he will be going there in the role of persuader”, Zhu said before the visit.

Pakistani analysts say the country’s neutrality in the conflict will allow it to act as a mediator between the two major Muslim powers.

Sharif is to head on Tuesday to Riyadh’s rival Iran where he is expected to meet President Hassan Rouhani. In the sense that Saudi back madrasahs are known to be a hotbed of terrorist ideology and recruitment, reports of Pakistan’s going to fight in the wars in in Syria or to join Isis grow by the day and are well known. He said the prime minister had called for a peaceful settlement of differences in the interests of Muslim unity. On January 16, the International Atomic Energy Agency certified that Iran has complied with the deal’s terms by restricting its nuclear program, triggering the removal of sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Whether Pakistan remains neutral or sides with Saudi Arabia remains to be seen, although the Foreign office has said that Pakistan will not deploy any troops as a result of the Saudi led coalition, it just might be forced to do so. An oil kingdom with huge oil and gas reserves, a country with a time-honoured history which is the birthplace of Islam, and the magnificent setting sun against the vast expanse of the desert: “these are the images that Saudi Arabia brings to our mind”, Xi wrote. The Iranian defence minister thanked General Raheel and the people of Pakistan for their efforts to bolster regional security.

“The prime minister expressed our deep concern on the recent escalation of tensions” between Iran and Saudi Arabia following the January 2 execution of prominent cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr in Riyadh, Pakistan’s foreign ministry spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said. Governor of Riyadh received the Prime Minister and members of his entourage. Both the leaders discussed the regional situation with the Riyadh Governor. “China will try and do what it can, but it still won’t play a main role”.

After arrival Gen Raheel met Iran’s Defence Minister Hossein Dehghan, said a statement issued from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).