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Iran's Rouhani offers to talk with Saudi, Bahraini leaders

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has sent letters to the kings of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in what is viewed as a step toward de-escalating regional tensions.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attends a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council In Yerevan, Armenia October 1, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC125DBD8560

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei has confirmed that President Hassan Rouhani has sent letters to the Saudi and Bahraini kings in an effort to resolve tensions with the two Arab countries. At a weekly press briefing in Tehran on Nov. 4, Rabiei said the letters embodied Iran's strategy of "seeking peace and stability" in the region. The Iranian official noted that US pressure should not be allowed to "create gaps" between neighbors, which share "cultural and religious commonalities and have been living in peaceful coexistence."

Iran, the newspaper reflecting the official stance of the Rouhani administration, described the letters as Tehran's "practical steps" toward implementing the "Hormuz Initiative," a peace plan aimed at resolving Persian Gulf tensions and promoting cross-strait cooperation against the US military presence there. Rouhani unveiled the plan during his address to the UN General Assembly in September. Earlier in May, Iran also offered its Persian Gulf neighbors a "non-aggression pact" that seeks to prevent potential regional conflicts.

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