Tehran urges ‘close neighborly ties’ to expel US forces from West Asia

Speaking at a TV program on Sunday morning, Ali Bagheri Kani said the Islamic Republic has prioritized the policy of de-escalating tensions with regional and neighboring states and will not allow foreigners to take advantage of possible gaps.

“By consolidating our very strategic and deep-rooted relations with neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan, we show a serious will to create a stable region through collective cooperation and security in order to provide a basis for the US’s withdrawal from the region,” he added.

“The US’s withdrawal from the region requires us to create a brotherly, friendly and unbreakable bond with neighbors. This is a decisive and strategic decision of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government.”

The senior diplomat also hailed the government’s strategic interaction with the neighboring countries.

President Ebrahim Raeisi managed to resolve problems in the way of the expansion of ties between Iran and its neighboring states, he noted.

Since taking office in 2021, President Raeisi’s administration has pursued a good neighborliness policy and forged strategic partnership with several countries.  

Last March, Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed under a Chinese-brokered deal to restore diplomatic relations severed in 2016.