Iran said on Wednesday it was ready to play a mediating role in East Asia, specifically in the escalating tensions between South and North Korea.

Iran said on Wednesday it was ready to play a mediating role in East Asia, specifically in the escalating tensions between South and North Korea.

“I ask you as a friend to settle the problems wisely and through talks and negotiations as in the past," Fars news agency quoted Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as saying.

Addressing East Asian countries, including China, Japan and South and North Koreas, Ahmadinejad added: “you should be vigilant, and Iran is ready to play a mediating role to help resolve problems through talks and negotiations.

The Iranian president warned that enemies of East Asian states have “plotted to prevent these countries' further progress through staging a devastating war in the region.”

He addressed these Asian states saying: “You shouldn’t allow the enemies of humanity to destroy you in a bid to improve their own conditions."