Iran calls for united front to fight militancy

Zarif urged GCC states to cooperate against the common threat of “terrorism, extremism and sectarianism”.

Zarif earlier met Emir Sheik Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah and ‘s foreign minister, Sheik Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah, who was not present at the news conference.

Zarif’s tour will also take him to Qatar and Iraq.

Zarif’s visit to Iraq came as part of his tour that started on Sunday to Kuwait, Qatar and Iraq with the aim of briefing the high ranking officials of the three countries on the latest result of the nuclear talks, in addition to exchanging views on bilateral relations and recent regional developments.

“Extremism and terrorism have turned into a threat to all regional countries and these threats should be confronted through coordination, cooperation and solidarity among countries”, Zarif told reporters in the holy Iraqi city of Najaf after a Monday meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, PressTV reports.

The deal could also make the battle against Islamic State more powerful, with more support on the ground rather than just US-led airstrikes.

He underlined that regional countries are linked through numerous commonalities, including religion, and added they should not allow terrorist and extremist groups to commit crimes in the region in the name of Islam and tarnish the image of this divine faith.

Bahrain on Saturday announced it was recalling its ambassador to Iran for consultations following what it called “continued hostile statements made by Iranian officials toward Bahrain”, according to the official Bahrain News Agency.

Iran, a country in the Middle East bordering the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf, has recently reached an agreement with the U.S for the future of Iran’s nuclear plans with the plan designed to limit Iran’s nuclear programs.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Marzieh Afkham, called this allegation “baseless and repetitive”, saying Bahrain is only trying to “create tension in the region”.

Echoing that message in a speech earlier on Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on a visit to Iran’s Kurdistan Province: “The Iranian nation supports all oppressed nations“.