Sputnik News- Neither of the two Middle Eastern countries has responded to a Moscow initiative to serve as a mediator in their bilateral conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.




MOSCOW (Sputnik)�� On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that�Russia was ready to�become a mediator in�Saudi Arabia-Iran contacts�and was also prepared to�provide a negotiation platform for�them.

Relations between�Riyadh and�Tehranhave been strained for�a long time over�a number of�issues, resulting in�a geopolitical standoff; Saudi Arabia considers Iran its main regional threat. Moreover, the two countries differ in�their interpretations of�Islam, due to�the majority of�Iran's population being Shiite Muslims, while Saudi Arabia is mostly Sunni. The relationship between�the two countries has further worsened due to�oil market competition and Iran's nuclear deal with�the United States.

A major diplomatic row between�Shiite-dominated Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia followed the execution of�prominent Saudi Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by�Saudi authorities in�January 2016. The move triggered a public backlash in�Iran, with�protesters storming the Saudi Embassy in�Tehran and the Saudi Consulate in�the Iranian city of�Mashhad. The two countries severed diplomatic ties in�the wake of�these events.