“The consequences and dangers of promoting extremism and sectarian conflict will not be limited to the regional countries, and will engulf other countries in other parts of the world if this ominous phenomenon is not seriously dealt with,” Zarif said.
The top Iranian diplomat made the remarks in a meeting with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Usama al-Nujayfi in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Sunday.
Heading a parliamentary delegation, Nujayfi arrived in Tehran on Saturday and was welcomed by Majlis Vice-Speaker Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi-Fard at Mehrabad International Airport.
Zarif added that warmongers have not been able to achieve their objectives over the past century, saying, “I hope all countries will come to the understanding that issues cannot be resolved by resorting to war and [adopting] unilateral measures.”
Referring to Baghdad and Tehran’s shared view that the Syria crisis should be settled peacefully and any use of force or military action should be avoided, Zarif said, “Only the Zionist regime [of Israel] benefits from military adventurism in the region.”
“We believe that regional problems must be solved by the regional countries themselves,” the Iranian foreign minister said, adding that Tehran will use all its political influence to help political initiatives aimed at resolving the Syria crisis come to fruition.
Nujayfi, for his part, stressed the importance of continuous consultation between regional countries including Iran and Iraq, expressing hope that their collective efforts could restore peace in Syria as well as the whole region.
