Iran urges Mideast vigilance against foreign powers

A senior Iranian official has called on the nations of the Middle East to maintain vigilance about plots hatched by foreign powers.

Regional states should be more serious in their efforts to boost 'regional and strategic ties' in the face of common interests and threats, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili said in a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Tehran on Thursday.

He added that such a move would help defuse such plots.

Jalili says Tehran and Damascus can play key roles in promoting more constructive relations in the region.

He described the Iran-Syria ties as 'strategic, excellent and unique.'

The Syrian foreign minister also emphasized that the regional countries should take the initiative to work towards 'a new Middle East' without any help from foreign powers.

Muallem, who arrived in Tehran Wednesday for a two-day visit, reiterated that Damascus was serious about promoting its bilateral relations with Iran.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said in his talks with Muallem that the conditions in the Middle East are changing in favor of Iran and Syria, reported IRNA on Wednesday.