Iran minister: Neither Iran nor Saudis can dominate Mideast
NEW YORK - Iran's foreign minister said Monday that neither Iran nor Saudi Arabia can be the dominant power in the Middle East and what's needed most is for countries in the Persian Gulf region to talk to each other—not about each other.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said, "In an attempt to be the strongest in the region, to exclude one another from the region, we have managed to destroy the region."
He told the Council on Foreign Relations that there is "a dire need for change" and "Iran is ready for it because we are big enough, old enough, mature enough to appreciate this reality."
Zarif expressed hope that Iran's neighbors, with help from other governments, can also appreciate the fact that "none of us can become the new hegemon" in the region.
He called for a new "regional dialogue forum" that would include five Gulf Cooperation Council countries along with Iran, Iraq and Yemen. And he urged the others to embark with Tehran on a transformation of the Middle East.
