Saudi Arabia had expressed tendency to hold talks with Iran after the Yemeni army attacks against Aramco oil installations in September 2019, but it was dissuaded by the US, French sources said. RNA - The Arabic-language al-Bana newspaper reported on Wednesday that French sources have quoted the Saudi officials as saying that they had prepared for negotiations with Tehran last year but Washington's interference prevented their meeting.
"The Americans told the Saudis that their situation will improve after protest rallies in Iraq, Lebanon and Iran, and that the Iranian government is in hard conditions, therefore, there is no need for talks with Tehran," the sources said.
"Saudi Arabia believes that reaching a comprehensive agreement through talks between Riyadh and Tehran is possible; an agreement which will include many regional issues like Yemen and Lebanon," they quoted the Saudi officials as saying.
According to Fars News Agency, Iran has on different occasions voiced readiness to hold talks with Saudi Arabia in a bid to remove the misunderstandings.
“The Islamic Republic has announced that it is always ready, with or without a mediator, to hold talks with its neighbors, including Saudi Arabia, so that if there is any misunderstanding, it could be cleared," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyed Abbas Mousavi said last October.
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that regional countries should prevent events that would allow “third parties and trans-regional states to exploit this situation."
Iran has always praised efforts by different countries that seek to establish security in the region with goodwill, he emphasized.
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