Iran Seeks Arab Help for Regional Stability
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iran's foreign minister appealed to Persian Gulf Arab states to overcome their differences and work together for regional stability and to find a solution to the Syrian crisis.
Speaking on Talk to Al Jazeera programme, Mohammad Javad Zarif said all countries in the region needed to reach across the sectarian divide to contain threats of violence and extremism, particularly in Syria.
"We should all work to end violence to bring about a political solution to end this tragedy that is a shame for both the Sunnis and Shiites," said Zarif, who was in Doha, Qatar, as part of a tour of Persian Gulf Arab states.
"It's a shame for the Islamic world. It's a shame for our region. We have to come to the realisation that these divisions will not help resolve the problem."
After visits to Kuwait and Oman for meetings on its recent nuclear deal with world powers, Zarif said in Doha that his goal was to assure the Persian Gulf states that the agreement signed in Geneva was in their best interests.
He said on Talk to Al Jazeera that he believed it was possible for a permanent agreement to be reached with the West on Iran's nuclear programme, but it would take faith and goodwill.
Sanctions had failed to have an impact on his country's nuclear enrichment programme and the productivity of its centrifuge machines, Zarif said.
"The net product of the sanctions has been about 18,800 centrifuges that has been added to the Iran’s stock," he said.
