Pakistan PM Imran Khan Says 'Mediating Between US, Iran' To Defuse Tensions

Imran Khan said "I immediately spoke to President Rouhani yesterday, after the meeting with President Trump, but right now I can't say anything more than this except that we are trying and mediating."

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan speaks during a press conference at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on September 24, 2019. - Khan said Tuesday that both the United States and Saudi Arabia asked him to mediate with Iran to defuse tensions. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)

United Nations: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he is working to help defuse the tensions in the Gulf at the request of both US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. At a meeting with Trump in New York on Monday on the sidelines of the General Assembly, Trump asked him for help as Khan was going to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani later in the day, Khan told reporters on Tuesday at UN Headquarters, Xinhua news agency reported. Before his meeting with Trump, Khan had been in Saudi Arabia and met with bin Salman, who also asked him to talk to Rouhani. "I spoke to Prince Mohammad bin Salman and he also asked me to talk to the Iranian president. He knew I was meeting him," said Khan. "Also President Trump asked me that if we could de-escalate the situation and maybe come up with another deal. So I did convey this and, yes, we are trying our best." "I immediately spoke to President Rouhani yesterday, after the meeting with President Trump, but right now I can't say anything more than this except that we are trying and mediating," he said. "I am hoping that there is no conflict. I do not believe that conflicts actually resolve anything," he added.