Iranian, Saudi foreign ministers discuss US-Iran diplomatic process

The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia discussed over the phone on Monday the latest developments of the ongoing Pakistan-mediated diplomatic process between Tehran and Washington.

The Iranian state news agency IRNA said the discussions between Abbas Araghchi and Prince Faisal bin Farhan marked the second phone call between the two sides in the past 24 hours.

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by US President Donald Trump without a set deadline.

On Sunday, Iran sent Pakistan its response to a US proposal for ending the war, but Trump dismissed it as “totally unacceptable.”