Sharif will fly to Saudi Arabia on Monday before visiting Iran’s capital Tehran on Tuesday, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
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Mr Sharif, accompanied by a top-level delegation including his powerful army chief Gen Raheel Sharif, held talks with King Salman in Riyadh in an effort to ease those tensions.
Iran then snapped all commercial ties with Saudi Arabia and stopped pilgrims from travelling to Mecca. Even without public pronouncements, Riyadh’s private consternation could be discerned in the pages of semi-official media and comments by influential clerics.
The deal, clinched last summer after intense negotiations, forced Iran to dismantle most of its nuclear program, a step that proponents say will prevent it from gaining the capability to make a bomb for well over a decade.
Adel bin Ahmed al-Jubeir appreciated Pakistan’s role in war against terror and said that Pakistan’s role in the region’s stability is exemplary.
“Enmity with Iran has never had any benefits for anyone, including the regional powers, and the interest of our friends in the region is in treading the path of friendship”, he stated. It is apparently in view of the delicate nature of the mission that the Prime Minister took along the Army chief so he could better explain the difficulties and the hazards involved in pursuing a confrontation course.
During the visit to the kingdom, the premier met with King Salman, and the prime minister is expected to deliver the king’s message to the Iranian leadership. Riyadh accused Iran of using the militia to stage a coup.
The COAS stressed the need for opening up the communication channel between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the sources added.
Middle East markets were badly hit in yesterday’s trading, with the Dubai DFM General index down 4.65% to 2,684.9, while Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share index closed down 5.44% at 5,520.41 after dropping 7% in intra-day trading; its lowest level in nearly five years.
That trend may now start reversing, altering how far each country can afford to mount political and military adventures overseas, and the extent to which they can use trade relations to build alliances with foreign powers.
Saudi Arabia’s decision to execute a prominent Shiite cleric earlier this month has only exacerbated tensions, prompting protesters to attack the Saudi Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in Mashhad, leading Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties to Iran.
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Saudi Arabia is the first Arab country Xi visits in the capacity of Chinese president, and this Middle East tour comes as China and Arab countries mark 60 years in diplomatic relations in 2016.
