TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran is ready for dialogue with Gulf Arab states on the escalation of tensions in the region, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araji said on Tuesday.
The Iranian official made the remarks during a meeting in Doha with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani at the last leg of his regional tour, which began in Oman through Kuwait and ending in Qatar.
"The establishment of full stability and security in the region is achieved when the national and economic interests of all countries are guaranteed," Araghji said, referring to the policy of extreme pressure and economic warfare against his country.
He stressed that Iran has always played its role to ensure the security of the region, but that "America and the Zionist entity and allied countries with them bear the consequences of their actions of tension."
For his part, the official Qatari News Agency reported that an Iraqi meeting with the Qatari Foreign Minister discussed bilateral relations and means of boosting them, and a number of regional issues of common concern.
The two sides stressed their concern about the escalation and problems in the region, and expressed the importance of dialogue to resolve, adding that the Assistant Foreign Minister of Iran confirmed his country's readiness to engage in dialogue with the Gulf countries regarding the stability and security of the region.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been escalating since early this month after the latter suspended some of its commitments under a nuclear deal in 2015, a year after Washington withdrew from it. The US administration tightened its sanctions on the Iranian economy and strengthened its military forces in the Middle East.