UNITED NATIONS: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he has been mediating with Iran to defuse tensions in the Middle East after the US president and the Saudi crown prince asked him to do so.

Hours after Mr Khan revealed this at a news briefing at the UN headquarters on Tuesday, President Trump told reporters that he had “a very good relationship” with the Pakistani leader and that was why he was involved in the effort.

Mr Khan met Mr Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rou­hani on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York this week and met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia on his way to the United States.

At his news conference, Mr Khan indicated that he was also working with the United States to keep the Afghan peace process alive, although last month President Trump halted the process and cancelled a Taliban visit to Washington.

The prime minister, however, ruled out a meeting with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, who is also in New York. “What’s the point of talking now unless they lift the curfew and restore Article 370 of the Indian constitution,” he said.

PM says he has been requested by Trump, Saudi crown prince to do so

“It will be tragedy for all, if there’s a war between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” said Mr Khan while explaining why he got involved in the mediation effort. “President Trump asked me that if we could de-escalate the situation and maybe come up with another deal.”

Mr Khan said he had already conveyed Mr Trump’s desire to the Iranian leader. “Yes, we did convey this, and yes, we’re trying our best,” he said.

“I immediately spoke to President Rouhani (on Monday) after the meeting with President Trump,” he said. “I can’t say anything right now more than this, except that we’re trying and mediating.”

In Saudi Arabia, the crown prince “also asked me to talk to the Iranian president”, Mr. Khan said.

The prime minister’s comments caused speculations in the United Nations about a possible face-to-face meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Rouhani on the sidelines of the general assembly. Some media reports claimed that French President Emmanuel Macron was trying to arrange such a meeting, although the US president was scheduled to return to Washington on Wednesday.

At a separate briefing on Tuesday evening, President Trump said he was aware of these mediation efforts. “They would like to negotiate. It certainly makes sense, but we haven’t agreed to that yet,” he said.

The French president, he said, was “also talking to us” and to other people.

“So is Prime Minister Khan of Pakistan. A lot of people, (German Chancellor Angela) Merkel is also very much involved, we have a lot of people involved. A lot of people would like to get us to the table.”

When asked to clarify if he had asked Mr Khan to get involved, Mr Trump said: “Well, he’d like to do that, and we have a very good relationship and there’s a chance that that could happen.

“But no I haven’t spoken — he actually asked me, he thought it would be a good idea to meet and we’re here, we’re in New York together and we have the time to do it, although we’ve done a lot of bilats in the last two days.”

Diplomatic observers at the UN headquarters pointed out that Pakistan has good relations with both Saudi Arabia and Iran and represents Tehran’s consular interests in the US in the absence of diplomatic relations.

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, while speaking to reporters in New York said the prime minister had made it clear to the US president that the region could not afford another war, as it would have drastic consequences.

“During the Saudi visit too, the prime minister had suggested an amicable solution to the US-Iran standoff,” Mr Qureshi said. President Trump too had expressed trust in Mr Khan’s leadership, he added.

At the prime minister’s news briefing, an Afghan journalist asked Mr Khan if Pakistan was still involved in the Afghan peace efforts.

“We are still working on the Afghan peace process. Hopefully, the deal is signed and then we will contact the Taliban and ask them to talk to the government in Kabul,” the prime minister responded.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2019