Iran has denied it asked Saudi Arabia to ease tension with Washington over a disputed nuclear programme and Iraq but analysts said on Tuesday Tehran may be trying to prevent US-allied Arab states lining up against it. A Saudi official said on Monday that Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, had delivered a message from Iranian leaders to the Saudi King, urging him to convey a message of goodwill from Tehran to Washington. “(The report about) Iran asking Saudi Arabia to mediate between Iran and America is baseless,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini was quoted as saying by state-owned Iran newspaper. Hosseini could not be reached for further comment. State media has only said Larijani’s visit was to improve relations. Analysts said Larijani’s visit to Riyadh may be part of efforts to prevent Sunni Muslim Arab states, like Saudi Arabia who fret about Tehran’s atomic ambitions, from lining up against Shiite Muslim Iran, a worry expressed by Iran’s leadership.