Saudi Arabia has reportedly asked Iraq to play the role of a mediator between Riyadh and Tehran, to reduce tensions between the two countries.

Iran Student News Agency, ISNA quotes Iraq’s Interior Minister Qasim al-Araji, who is currently visiting Tehran, as saying that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman has expressly asked Iraq to try to help reduce the simmering tensions between the two largest and most powerful Persian Gulf countries.

Al-Araji said that when he was visiting Saudi Arabia, the crown prince called on Iraq to lend a hand as a mediator.

Saudi Iranian relations took a turn for worse in January 2016, when Iranian protestors, believed to have the blessing of hardliners, stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran and ransacked it.

Riyadh immediately severed its diplomatic ties with Iran,

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani who is considered a pragmatist, had criticized the incident and is said to be trying to improve relations with Saudi Arabia.