A senior Iranian official has called on Saudi Arabia to helpreduce tensions, saying Tehran is open to any initiative for the sake of the regional security.
We are prepared to consider any initiative which can help this region become more stable and of course safer," Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said.
He said through de-escalation, "we can combat the real challenge and the real threat in the region which is terrorism, extremism and of course sectarianism which is a big threat to all of us in the region.
Araqchi said extremist terrorist elementspose a threat to the entire world.
We have seen if you dont fight with them in Syria, for example, we have to fight with them in Paris and in other capitals," he said.
"We have to combat themand there is no way but to fight with these terrorist elements now in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen and in other places in the region, otherwise we should all pay for it.
Tensions are running high in the regionsince Saudi execution of a prominent Shia cleric. The kingdom severed diplomatic ties with Iran following Tehran's strong condemnation and protests in Iraniancities in which twoSaudi missions were attacked byassailants.
Some observers have said Saudi rulers pounced on the attacks to escalate tensions after a recent warming of ties between Iran and the West which has triggered a wave of interest in trade with the Islamic Republic.
Business returning to normal
On Monday, Araqchi said foreign firms have started to return to the Iranian market following the removal of anti-Iran sanctions under a July nuclear agreement between Tehran and P5+1.
Things are gradually moving toward normalization of business between Iranian entities and foreign entities, he said.
Iranian and Italian government officials sign contracts in the Italian capital Rome, January 25, 2016. (Photo by IRNA)Araqchi, however, said that re-establishing business ties hasnt been straightforward, adding, There are some technical problems in this regard.We have seen good faith in all parties to address all these problems, he said.
Araqchs comments came on the same day that Iran and Italy signed contracts worth up to 17 billion euros (USD 18.4 billion) in the presence of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella in the capital, Rome.
Rouhani said the countrys market offers Italian and European investors the opportunity to establish themselves in the entire region.
By Press TV
