Iran's Rouhani says regional crisis can be resolved through diplomacy

DUBAI: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that finding a solution to the conflict in Yemen could help reduce tensions in the region, which could be further resolved through diplomacy.

"Ending the war in Yemen will pave the ground for de-escalation in the region ...  we want peace and calm in the region ... regional crisis can be resolved through diplomacy and co-operation between the regional countries," Rouhani told a news conference, broadcast live on state TV.

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He added that relations between Iran and the United Arab Emirates, part of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen, had improved in the past months and "officials have visited each other’s countries".

The national security adviser of the United Arab Emirates, Tahnoun bin Zayed, has been visiting Tehran on a secret mission aiming to defuse the tensions in the Gulf, according to a senior security source in the UAE, Al Jazeera, reported on Monday.

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On Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated that Pakistan is ready to act as a facilitator between the two brotherly Muslims countries – Iran and Saudi Arabia – to sort out their differences through dialogue.

Addressing a joint press stakeout along with President Rouhani, the prime minister said: “In the past, Pakistan hosted Saudi Arabia and Iran and is again willing to facilitate the brotherly countries to iron out their differences.”