Iranian leader willing to mediate between Koreas

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani is willing to play a mediator's role in resolving difficult issues between the two Koreas, a South Korean official now visiting Iran said Monday.

The Iranian leader made the remarks during his meeting with South Korean Assembly Speaker Kang Chang-hee in Tehran on Monday, according to Kang's spokesman Bae Sung-rye.

Kang is the first South Korean Assembly speaker to visit Iran since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1962.

The spokesman said Rouhani told Kang at his office in Tehran that his government can play a mediator's role in order to solve difficult problems between South and North Korea.

Rouhani also said that Iran will fulfill its promises made with Western countries to resolve its nuclear problems, while calling on South Korean firms to make greater inroads into Iran, according to Bae. 

(Yonhap)