ISLAMABAD: An Iranian diplomat on Monday said that a peace initiative involving the neighbouring countries could deliver peace in the region.

Counselor at the Iranian Embassy Masoud Zamani was speaking at a conference at Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI) on the escalation in the Middle East and its implications for Pakistan.

`All of us should opt for and subscribe to a paradigm of regional inclusivity and synergy, as the only realistic way out of the current cycle of crises,` Mr Zamani suggested at the conference.

His remarks came amidst Pakistan`s diplomatic effort to defuse tensions in the region in the aftermath of assassination of senior Iranian military commander Gen Qasem Soleimani in an aerial strike at Baghdad Airport on Jan 3.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Monday completed his Iran leg of the peace trip and reached Riyadh for meeting the Saudi leadership.

Mr Zamani welcomed Pakistani ef forts and said that Iran would like to encourage Islamabad to continue with the initiative.Speaking about the causes of the crisis, he said US intervention in the region resulted in `endless wars, extremism and violence`.

This, he contended, pushed the countries in the region from `battle of norms` to `clash of strategies`.

Mr Zamani said the solution to the latest crisis was `within reach and accessible`. He said this needed political will and cooperation of the countries in the region.

`Resort to war, considered an exception in international relations, has unfortunately become a norm and rule in the region due to the attitude and conduct of the US and its followers. This is a vicious circle that must be broken by the regional actors and all those committed to peace and stability,` he maintained.

Dr Nazir Ahmed from Quaid-i-Azam University said that Pakistan should strive for preventing a regional conflict. He said a conflict could potentially derail efforts for peace in Afghanistan, affect uprising in Kashmir and could also have sectarian implications for Pakistan.

Executive Director Center for International Strategic Studies (CISS) Ambassador Ali Sarwar Naqvi said therewas a `sad progression of events` and things were taking a `drastic and grim turn`.

He warned that a conflict in the region would suit Israel.

Ambassador Riaz Bokhari said the situation was still fluid, but the `tactical pause` in hostilities offered an opportunity for de-escalation. He believed that through mediation, `Pakistan would be able to ensure peace on our western border, success of peace talks in Afghanistan, maintain sectarian harmony and keep Kashmir on the international agenda`.

Progress towards de-escalation, he said, could be achieved if Iran and Arab countries assure each other of mutual security and respect for their red lines.

Mr Bokhari too emphasized that Arabs and Iranians need to resolve their problems by themselves.

He warned that India may try to exploit the situation and destabilise the region further.

Executive Director IPI Prof Sajjad Bokhari, on this occasion, said although it apparently looks that the situation has eased a bit, but there was still a very real possibility of eruption of a lowintensity US-Iran conflict in the region.