Saudi crown prince, French president discuss regional developments

Riyadh, June 29 (IANS) Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud received a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron, during which they discussed regional and international developments, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

According to SPA, the two leaders reviewed the latest developments regarding the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the United States and Iran, as well as ongoing efforts to facilitate comprehensive solutions that would enhance security and stability in the region.

They underscored the importance of ensuring freedom of navigation and supporting diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two sides also discussed bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on other regional and international issues of common concern.

The presidents of the United States and Iran signed the MoU on June 17 with the aim of ending their conflict that had lasted for months. Nevertheless, the two countries have continued to engage in sporadic clashes.

The United States and Iran have agreed to pause mutual attacks “for now” and hold talks on Tuesday in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to work out their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, US media outlet Axios reported.

The two sides will stand down “for now” and “vessels can move freely” as technical talks are set to continue, a US official was quoted as saying.

The Tuesday talks were originally set to be held in Switzerland and focused on Iran’s nuclear program. However, renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz prompted the talks to be moved to Doha, shifting the focus to shipping security in the strategic waterway.

During negotiations in Switzerland a week ago, the US delegation agreed with Iran to establish a “hotline” between the US military and Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps to coordinate traffic in the strait.

However, as of Saturday, the “hotline” still wasn’t operational, according to the report.

The United States conducted strikes on Iranian targets on Friday and Saturday, citing “continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping” in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by striking US military positions in the region.

–IANS

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