DHAKA: Iran said on Sunday it wanted stronger cooperation with US ally Saudi Arabia, as it seeks to ease concerns among Gulf Arab neighbours about a potential resurgence in its influence following a nuclear deal with world powers.

Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif, on a tour of Gulf Arab states, said after talks in Kuwait that no date had been set for an expected visit to Sunni Muslim power Saudi Arabia, Shia Iran’s main regional rival.

But he suggested the nuclear deal reached in Geneva on November 24 should not be seen as a threat.

‘This agreement cannot be at the expense of any country in the region,’ Zarif, speaking through an interpreter, told reporters at a news conference after discussions with his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Sabah al-Hamad al-Sabah.

Asked about reports he also planned to visit Riyadh, Zarif said no date had yet been set for such a visit.

‘We look at Saudi Arabia as an important and influential regional country and we are working to strengthen cooperation with it for the benefit of the region,’ Zarif said.

He did not elaborate on how this might be done.

BDST: 1837 HRS, DEC 01, 2013