Pakistani PM on Trip to Mediate Saudi-Iran Tensions

Li said there are now about 160 Chinese companies operating in the Kingdom contributing positively to Saudi Arabia’s economic development.

Apart from an impact on the Middle East, tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia have created a hard situation for OPEC and potentially for the rest of the world.

Neither the Saudi foreign embassy nor their Somali counterparts reacted to the statement. Such comments, which mirror accusations Riyadh makes about Iran, infuriate Saudi officials who regard Rouhani as a smooth-talking cipher for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and see no point engaging with him instead of his harder line superior.

Although, the two countries have been on the opposing sides for a long time, on matters relating to the Middle East or worldwide issues, Riyadh and Tehran have of late become quite aggressive against each other.

“Any financial and other requests that we made to the Saudis were way before” Somali cut ties with Iran, Foreign Minister Abdusalam Omer told Reuters. Various Iranian officials criticized the manner in which the Saudi government has conducted the investigation into the causes of the stampede while others suggested that the administration of the Hajj should be taken over by an worldwide body representing Islamic countries. He said Iran should “stop interfering in (the) internal affairs” of its neighbors.

A Saudi-led coalition is fighting Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen in a conflict that Gulf countries view as a proxy battle against Tehran. He accused Iran of worsening tensions between the two groups after its revolution in 1979.

As a result, even though it remains a remote possibility, direct military confrontation between Saudi Arabia and Iran could well put oil back into triple-digit territory in short order.

Meanwhile, ex-diplomats and leading analysts of the country, while lauding the decision of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to visit Saudi Arabia and Iran, have termed it a “bold initiative” in the interest of unity and solidarity of the Muslim Ummah. Egypt considers any potential threat to shipping via the Bab Al-Mandeb Strait south of the Suez Canal as an existential threat that also would impact global energy security. Al-Nimr had publicly criticized the Saudi royal family. China supports the Arab League and its member states’ efforts to this end.

“In my opinion what’s paramount for Obama is to protect the Iran deal”, said Karim Sadjadpour, Iran expert and another senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment.

Hilal Kashan is a professor of political science at the American University of Beirut.

And Secretary of State John Kerry pre-empted the signature by flying to London on Thursday for talks with the angry Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir. Neighbouring Djibouti has also severed diplomatic ties with Iran. Saudi Arabia wants Pakistan’s support in its dispute with Iran.