Reuters - Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan warned against the risk of conflict in the region, following a visit to Islamabad by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif as tensions between Washington and Tehran escalated.

Strains have increased between Iran and the United States, which is a firm backer of Tehran�s regional rival Saudi Arabia, in the wake of this month�s attack on oil tankers in the Gulf region that Washington has blamed on Iran.

Tehran has distanced itself from the bombings, but the United States has sent a aircraft carrier and an extra 1,500 troops to the Gulf, sparking concerns about the risks of conflict in a volatile region.

Khan, who has been seeking to improve Pakistan�s strained relations with neighbor Iran, said he was concerned about the �rising tensions in the Gulf�, but did not specifically name the United States or Saudi Arabia.

�He underscored that war was not a solution to any problem,� Khan�s office said in a statement late on Friday, citing the premier.

�Further escalation in tensions in the already volatile region was not in anyone�s interest. All sides needed to exercise maximum restraint in the current situation.�

Washington has been seeking to increasingly tighten sanctions against Iran, as relations continue to worsen under President Donald Trump.

At the end of the two-day visit to Pakistan, Zarif told Iranian state-run newswire IRNA that U.S. allegations against Tehran were increasing tensions.

�These actions are also a threat to global peace and stability,� he said.

Earlier this month, four tankers, including two belonging to Saudi Arabia, were bombed near the United Arab Emirates� Fujairah emirate, one of the world�s largest bunkering hubs, located just outside the Strait of Hormuz.

Washington has accused Iran�s Revolutionary Guards of carrying out the attacks, and the Trump administration has declared a national security-related emergency that would clear the sale of billions of dollars� worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries, bypassing congressional approval.

Pakistan�s relations with Iran have also been strained in recent months, with both sides accusing each other of not doing enough to stamp out militants allegedly sheltering across the border.