Speaking during a visit to Oman as part of a tour to Persian Gulf States, Zarif told "We believe that Iran and Saudi Arabia should work together in order to promote peace and stability in the region."

Zarif arrived in Doha on Monday after first stopping over in Kuwait and Oman for meetings with top officials aimed at discussing several issues.

He is to hold talks in Qatar with Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani as well as with his Qatari counterpart Khaled al-Attiyah, an Iranian diplomat in Doha told.

During his stopover in Muscat, Zarif noted "I believe that our relations with Saudi Arabia should expand as we consider Saudi Arabia as an extremely important country in the region and the Islamic world."

Zarif on Monday voiced again his hopes to "soon" visit Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, whose foreign minister announced during a visit to Tehran last week that his government was ready to create a joint economic commission with Iran.

"I am ready to go to Saudi Arabia, but it is just a matter of being able to arrange a mutually convenient time. I will visit it soon inshallah (God willing)."

RA/NJF