AFP--  "We believe that if there is a problem in the region, it can be solved through dialogue," Rouhani said in a speech at the opening of a port in the southeastern city of Chabahar, broadcast by state television.

"We do not need arms nor the intervention of foreign powers. We can solve our problems ourselves through unity and dialogue."

President Rouhani's comments follow an escalation in the bitter rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

President Hassan Rouhani said recent victories against the ISIS opened the way for the Middle East to move past its reputation for "war and conflict between Shia and Sunni... and the presence and interventions of foreign powers".