Riyadh Needs to Recognize Tehran's Role

Iran's ambassador to Britain dismissed any possibility of security cooperation in the Middle East without Saudi Arabia's recognition of Iran's significant role. Speaking in a meeting at the British Parliament in London on Tuesday, Hamid Baeidinejad stressed that there is "no clear prospect for security cooperation in the region so long as Saudis do not recognize Iran's role," according to a post on his Twitter page cited by Tasnim News Agency. The meeting was attended by former British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, and head of British-Iranian Parliamentary Friendship Group. The Iranian envoy's comments came against a backdrop of calls on Iran to use its influence to settle regional crises, especially in Syria, Yemen and Iraq. Last week, Iran accepted an invitation to attend a meeting in Switzerland for talks on the settlement of Syria crisis after parties to the meeting agreed to some of the conditions set by Tehran for its involvement in the talks.