Conflict between US, Iran would trigger widespread poverty: PM

• The PM said that he thought Iran's supreme leader was receptive on talking to the US president.
• He said he told US president that war is never a solution.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that a conflict between the US and Iran would be a disaster for the developing countries and that war is never a solution.

Speaking to CNBC’s Hadley Gamble, the PM said it would be a disaster if conflict takes place between US and Iran. He asked whether the US wanted another conflict similar to Afghanistan. "Trust me Iran would be a much much more difficult conflict than even Afghanistan," he said.

On the possibility of Iran sitting down with US President Donald Trump, the PM said that people should never rely on military solution. He continued that use military for one problem and five other problems come up.

He further said that war is never a solution, adding that people who solve issues through bloodshed and war, they always cause mayhem in this world.

"A conflict right now would be a disaster for developing countries. Oil prices will shoot up, countries like us who are just about to balancing our budgets, everthing will go and it will just cause poverty," the PM added.

He continued that after his meeting with the US president last year, he visited Iran and its supreme leader and he thought that the supreme leader was receptive on talking to the US president.

“War is never a solution”. Pakistan PM @ImranKhanPTI tells me a conflict with #Iran would be a disaster for developing countries, triggering widespread poverty pic.twitter.com/LS1MKuNV1d

— Hadley Gamble (@_HadleyGamble) January 22, 2020

Speaking about Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK), the PM said Kashmir is a far more serious problem than people and the world realizes. "The problem is that India has been taken over by an extremist ideology, which is called Hindutva or the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),” the PM said.

He said the Kashmir issue has become serious because it involves two nuclear armed countries. “That’s why I want President Trump, head of the most powerful country in the world — he should intervene right now. United Nations, or President Trump through the UN at least,” the premier added.