Saudi Arabian and Iranian foreign minister have made statements saying they are ready for a dialogue and reduction of tensions in Middle East that has been the scene of increasing tensions and dangerous confrontations.
Saudi Foreign Minister Farhan Al Saud told Reuters on Wednesday Riyadh was open to talks with Tehran “but it is really up to Iran”. He added that the precondition for dialogue is for Iran to accept it “cannot further its regional agenda through violence”. Al-Saud made the statement from the world economic gathering in Davos.
Zarif who decided not the attend the annual gathering tweeted on Thursday in Arabic that Iran welcomes dialogue with its Persian Gulf neighbors.
"Iran remains open to dialogue with its neighbors and we announce our readiness to participate in any complementary work that is in the interest of the region," Zarif wrote in what appears to be a response to Al Saud’s statement.
The Saudi minister also confirmed there are efforts of mediation in the region and expressed satisfaction that a larger military confrontation has not happened in the region.
An unprecedented large-scale drone and missile attack on Saudi oil installations in September was attributed to Iran and tension ran high for a few weeks, but recently there have been more expressions of willingness for a dialogue.