TEHRAN, Oct. 12 (MNA) – Neither of the two Middle Eastern countries has responded to a Moscow initiative to serve as a mediator in their bilateral conflict, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday.

On Wednesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said that Russia was ready to become a mediator in Saudi Arabia-Iran contacts and was also prepared to provide a negotiation platform for them, Sputnik reported.

Relations between Riyadh and Tehran have been strained for a long time over a number of issues, resulting in a geopolitical standoff; Saudi Arabia considers Iran its main regional threat.