Trump and Khan make moves to curb tensions in the Gulf - but will Saudis and Iranians tune in?

Continuing his series on the complexities of the Middle East, Ahmed Aboudouh looks at whether Pakistan’s Imran Khan will be able to bring together Riyadh and Tehran

Imran Khan has been asked to intervene by Donald Trump (Reuters)

Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan is due to hold talks with Iranian president Hassan Rouhani on Sunday to discuss a possible cooling of tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, after Islamabad confirmed President Donald Trump’s request to mediate between the Middle East’s biggest rivals.

Khan is also due to travel to Saudi Arabia to meet with the crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) for further talks.

The visit comes after Khan revealed last month that Trump had asked the Pakistani leader to help defuse tensions between the two powers, with Washington having blamed Tehran for a September attack on the world’s biggest crude oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia.