New York: The relationship between Iran and Saudi Arabia deserves to be better, though differences between the two oil-producing Middle Eastern states appear to be narrowing, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday.
Iran and Saudi Arabia are enmeshed in a struggle for influence across the Middle East and have supported opposing sides in wars and political disputes in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain and Yemen.
"Our relationship with Saudi Arabia ... deserves to be warmer," Rouhani told a group of senior editors in New York ahead of the annual gathering of world leaders at the UN General Assembly. "Saudi Arabia's positions are getting closer and closer to us."
Speaking through an interpreter, Rouhani added that if the two nations' differences are truly narrowing, "relations with Saudi Arabia will grow closer."
UN mandate
Rouhani reacted cautiously to the US-led airstrikes on Islamic State militants in Syria. He neither condemned nor endorsed the military action by the United States and Arab allies.
"The bombardment must have a certain framework that is needed to take place in a third country." He said that without a UN mandate or a request from the government of the affected country, military interventions "don't have any legal standing."
Rouhani said he had no plans to meet US President Barack Obama while in New York for the UN General Assembly.
He described this week as an important one for his country's talks with world powers meant to forge a long-term accord by November 24 that would end sanctions on Iran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
Senior foreign ministry officials from Britain, China, France, Germany, the United States, Russia and Iran are meeting on the sidelines of the General Assembly. Officials close to the talks say a deal is unlikely in coming days given deep disagreement on issues such as the future scope of Iran's future enrichment programme.
Several Iranian officials told Reuters that Iran is ready to work with Western powers to stop Islamic State, but would like concessions on Tehran's uranium enrichment programme in exchange.
The White House on Monday said it refused to link the nuclear talks with the fight against Islamic State.
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