United Nations: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman had asked him to be an intermediary with Iran and help defuse tensions between both the nations. He said that had already spoken with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in an attempt to mediate.
Khan met with Trump on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations. "President Trump asked me that if we could de-escalate the situation (with Iran) and maybe come up with another deal," Khan told reporters. “I immediately spoke to President Rouhani after the meeting with President Trump, but I can’t say anything right now more than this except that we’re trying and mediating.” Khan said he had been in Saudi Arabia before New York and spoken with Prince Mohammed bin Salman who also asked him to talk to Rouhani about de-escalating the situation.
Because of Pakistan's patronage of the Taliban, Khan is being seen as an influential player in Trump's attempts to make a deal with the militant group so he could bring back the American troops stationed in Afghanistan as he had pledged during his election campaign. A role with Iran could add to Khan's influence with Trump. Pakistan traditionally has strong relations with Saudi Arabia but also maintains ties with Iran, with Islamabad representing Tehran's consular interests in the United States in the absence of diplomatic relations.
Crisis has been brewing in the Gulf region after Trump withdrew from a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and world powers and reimposed sanctions on Iran as part of a “maximum pressure” policy. In response, Iran has gradually reduced its commitments to limit uranium enrichment activity under the pact and plans further breaches if European parties fail to keep their promises to shield Iran’s economy from US sanctions. The US also blames Iran for an attack on the world’s biggest crude oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia on September 14 and has said they will present evidence to back that up. Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group has claimed responsibility. Iran denies involvement.
In his speech to the UN, Trump said there was a path to peace with Iran while he denounced its leadership for “bloodlust.” When asked about Khan’s remarks, Trump said Khan would like to mediate “and we have a very good relationship and there’s a chance that that could happen.” Khan also said he had told Trump that he was willing to help broker peace in neighbouring Afghanistan.
