KABUL: (Middle East Press) Iran and Turkey have gathered together and agreed to find a political solution to Yemen’s war, which has raised tensions between them.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran.

The two nations are at odds over Yemen. Ankara has accused Tehran of backing Houthi rebels there and, in turn, being charged with fuelling tensions in the region.

Iran, which supports the Houthi rebels in Yemen, has condemned air strikes by an Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia and supported by Turkey.

“We talked about Iraq, Syria, and Palestine… We had a long discussion about Yemen. We both think war and bloodshed must stop in this area immediately and a complete ceasefire must be established and the strikes must stop” in Yemen, Iran’s Hassan Rouhani said during a joint press conference broadcast by state television.

Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan made no remarks about Yemen, but talked at length about bilateral relations with Iran.

Rouhani said he hoped the two nations, “with the help of other countries in the region, help there to be peace, stability, a broader government and dialogue” between Yemenis.

“We agree on the fact that instability, insecurity and war must stop throughout the region,” he said. Erdogan, a conservative Islamist, denounced at the end of March what he called Iran’s will for “domination” in Yemen, calling on Tehran to “withdraw all its forces from Yemen, Syria and Iraq. “Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif reacted by accusing Ankara of fuelling instability in the Middle East.

Turkey and Iran are also opposed on Syria, with Tehran the main regional ally of President Bashar al-Assad and Ankara supporting the rebellion.

Several ministers accompanied Erdogan, who is also expected to meet Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his one-day visit.

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