Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urged Muslim countries to form a unified front to combat extremism, noting that terrorism and extremism are the main perils threatening the Muslim world.
Zarif, who was on an official visit to Tunisia on the third round of his regional trips following the July 14 nuclear deal with major powers, made the remark in a meeting with his Tunisian counterpart Taieb Baccouche on Monday, IRNA reported.
The two sides discussed bilateral collaboration and exchanged views on finding political solutions to regional crises.
Zarif called for measures to bring an end to foreign interference in Middle East issues and said, "Dialogue needs to be the base of solving regional crises."
He said no preconditions should be set for holding political talks in Syria, Yemen and other crisis-hit countries in the region.
Pressure Ineffective
In a separate meeting with Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid, Zarif said, "The nuclear accord between Iran and the P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany) was an indication of the fact that negotiations, rather than pressure and sanctions, can serve as the foundation for resolving disputes."
Calling for expansion of bilateral relations with the North African country, he said, "Launching direct air and shipping lines would pave the way for enhancing ties in tourism."
The Tunisian official welcomed Zarif and referring to the excellent relations between the two sides expressed Tunisia's readiness to develop relations with Iran, especially in the fields of tourism, industry and agriculture.
He congratulated Iran on the gained achieved in the nuclear negotiations and expressed pleasure at Tehran's success in exploiting advanced technologies in various fields.
Meeting the Press
The top Iranian diplomat also met reporters in Tunis on Tuesday, saying the Islamic Republic has extended its hand of collaboration to neighboring and regional countries, with a view to using common opportunities and countering common threats.
"We are ready to cooperate at international level to help resolve the crises gripping regional countries, especially Yemen and Syria," Zarif noted.
Deploring military assaults against and foreign intervention in the internal affairs of regional countries, he appealed for humanitarian aid to the war-ravaged countries of the region and political initiatives to address challenges.
"We should not let terrorist groups make use of conflicts in these countries to achieve their goals," he said, adding that the will of the people, rather than foreign involvement, should determine their fate.
