FILE PHOTO: Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks during a news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Alhakim, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 10, 2019. REUTERS
Iran's foreign minister says his country could turn into a ``companion'' for Saudi Arabia if the kingdom ends its war in Yemen, where the archrivals support opposite sides.
The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Tuesday Mohammad Javad Zarif as saying if Saudi Arabia solved ``problems in the region at the negotiating table, and not by killing people, it would definitely have the Islamic Republic of Iran as its companion.''
Reportedly Pakistan and Iraq have sought to mediate tensions between Tehran and Riyadh in recent weeks.
Tensions spiked last month after a drone-and-missile strike on Saudi Arabia's oil industry that shook global energy markets. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran for the attack, a charge Tehran denies. Zarif at the time warned any retaliatory attack would result in ``all-out war.''
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