Iranian ambassador to Lebanon Mohammad Fathali listens to Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015.[/caption]
BEIRUT:�Iran�is optimistic it can improve relations with regional foe Saudi Arabia, Iranian Ambassador to�Lebanon�Mohammad Fathali�said Wednesday, adding that the two countries have common enemies in�Israel�and ISIS.
�We seek to establish the best brotherly relations with Saudi Arabia, based on the principle of mutual respect,� Fathali told a radio station.
�We see positive indications on the horizon for Iranian-Saudi relations,� he added.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif�s participation in last month�s funeral services for Saudi King�Abdullah�was just one gesture of goodwill, the diplomat explained.
The move was reciprocated Tuesday by Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Ali Awad Asiri, who participated in a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the Iranian Revolution. The Iranian ambassador described relations with his Saudi counterpart as �very good.�
�Saudi Arabia and Iran have common enemies like�ISIS�and Israel,� Fathali said. �The Saudi elites have reached this conviction.�
Fathali said Iran�s relations with�Turkey�have also improved.
�Turkish-Iranian relations are very good and [the value of] economic trade has reached $20 billion,� he added.
�There will be an official visit for Turkish President�Recep Tayyip Erdogan�[soon].�
A fierce opponent of the West � especially the�United States�� Iran has long been a regional rival of�Saudi Arabia�and Turkey. Both countries are U.S. allies.
Discord between the nations was exacerbated by the eruption of the Syrian civil war, as Iran supported Syrian President�Bashar Assad�and his regime, while Turkey and Saudi Arabia backed rebel groups.
Asiri took part in a ceremony organized by the�Iranian Embassy�at the Beirut International Exhibition and�Leisure Center�to celebrate the 36th anniversary of the victory of the Iranian Revolution.
During the event, the Saudi diplomat was seen shaking hands with Sheikh Naim Qassem, the deputy-head of Hezbollah, Iran�s major ally in Lebanon.
Delivering a speech during the ceremony, Fathali said that Iran stood by the side of Lebanon�s �people, government, Army, and resistance.�
�Lebanon�s national unity is the mightiest weapon to confront the Zionist enemy and all the other dangers surrounding [the country],� the envoy added.
Fathali said Iran supported any dialogue which brought Lebanese political factions together, referring to ongoing talks between�Hezbollah�and the Future Movement.
He also said he hoped that all Lebanese factions, particularly Christian groups, would agree on a new president as soon as possible.
Lebanon has been without a president since last May.
By The Daily Star
