Riyadh (Monitoring Desk) Gulf countries have accelerated diplomatic efforts to prevent possible renewed military tensions between the United States and Iran, while a former American diplomat has warned that failure of mediation efforts could push both countries back toward war.
Former senior U.S. State Department official and ex-ambassador Joey Hood said that if outside powers fail to play an effective diplomatic role, military confrontation between the United States and Iran could resume.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, he stated that if Russia, China, or Gulf countries fail to improve the situation, the region could move toward another war.
According to Joey Hood, many countries had hoped that China would play an active role in peace negotiations, but Beijing adopted a cautious approach regarding the matter. He added that this was one of the reasons Gulf states decided to intensify their own diplomatic initiatives.
The former U.S. official expressed hope that mediation efforts by Gulf countries would succeed in reducing regional tensions and preventing a possible conflict.
