Iran opposed to pressure, threats against neighbors

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the Islamic Republic is opposed to the application of any form of pressure and threat against its neighbors.

Zarif made the remarks during a meeting with Qatar’s Ambassador to Iran Ali bin Ahmed Ali al-Sulaiti, on Monday.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy in the region is clear. The region’s issues have to be resolved through dialog, and we are opposed to any pressure or threat, by whatever party, against [our] neighbors,” the top Iranian diplomat said.

The two also addressed the expansion of the ties between Iran and Qatar, especially in the areas of economy and commerce.

Replicating Saudi Arabia, Qatar recalled its envoy to Iran in January 2016. Riyadh had withdrawn its own ambassador over demonstrations in front of the Saudi Arabian diplomatic premises in Tehran and Mashhad.

But Qatar later found itself in a dispute of its own with Saudi Arabia. On June 5, Riyadh led three other Arab states in severing ties with Doha and laying a partial siege to it in part because of what the Saudi government believed was better relations with Iran.

The four boycotting countries later demanded that Qatar downgrade its ties with Iran even as Doha had already recalled its ambassador.

Iran has taken a neutral stance on the Arab dispute and has called for dialog.

Qatar recently decided to return its ambassador to the Iranian capital. The United Arab Emirates, one of the countries boycotting Doha, publicly criticized the move.