UN Chief Backs Tehran-Riyadh Talks 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed hope that talks underway between authorities in Saudi Arabia and Iran will help to ease tensions in the Persian Gulf region.
“I hope that the dialogue that started between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and other forms of dialogue in the region, will produce results and will allow a reduction of the tension in the Persian Gulf,” he told Arab News.
It came as he reflected on the role the kingdom, the UAE other Persian Gulf nations can play in tackling global crises—including food insecurity, climate-related emergencies and energy shortages—and regional conflicts such as those in Syria, Yemen, Libya and between the Israelis and Palestinians.
“I am sure that [Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Persian Gulf Arab states] will be quite active in relation to the promotion of peaceful solutions in their neighborhood: In Syria, Libya, Yemen or in any other country that is close to them,” Guterres said.
“I think the people of Syria, the people of Libya, the people of Yemen have already suffered too much. And my appeal is for everybody to come together to solve those problems.”