Regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran should reconcile and help resolve tensions in the Middle East, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday.
"I hope that both Iran and Saudi Arabia, despite mistrust and difficulties, will bring realism, responsibility and compromise to their dealings, and to the region," Ban said in a speech in Oman's capital Muscat according to transcript emailed by the UN press office, Reuters reported.
Tensions between the two regional powers flared up after the execution of prominent Shia cleric Sheik Nimr al-Nimr in Saudi Arabia which prompted a huge outcry among Shias across the Middle East. Riyadh severed ties with Tehran after Iranian protesters angered by the cleric's execution stormed Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran.
