Aamer told Bahraini News Agency that Iran is a very important country in the region and its role cannot be overlooked, ISNA reported.

Pointing to the recent remarks by Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani that one of Tehran’s foreign policy priorities is to forge closer relations with the Persian Gulf littoral states, the Bahraini official reiterated that his country would always try to enjoy sustainable relations with Iran as a neighboring Muslim state based on mutual trust and the principle of good neighborliness.

Aamer expressed hope that Iran’s diplomatic ties with the Persian Gulf states would yield positive results for Bahrain and all other countries in the region.

He urged the Persian Gulf coastal states to consolidate relations with Iran.

Addressing his first press conference on June 17, Rouhani highlighted the significance of ties with the Persian Gulf littoral states and Arab countries, saying, “The Persian Gulf region has strategic importance both in terms of politics and economy.”

He added that a central plank of his administration’s foreign policy will be to have “amicable and close” relations with all neighboring countries based on good neighborliness, and mutual respect and interests.

Rouhani won Iran’s June 14 presidential election by securing 18,613,329 votes, or 50.70 percent, of a total of 36,704,156 ballots counted. The voter turnout in the election was 72.7 percent.

SF/NN/HJL