US cannot influence Iranian ties with neighbours: Rouhani

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday said Washington cannot dictate its policies on regional countries for their relations with Iran.

Rouhani made the remarks at Tehran's Mehrabad International Airport before leaving for Turkey, Xinhua news agency reported.

He said the US has no longer any influence on relations between countries in the region, and it will no longer be able to dictate its policies to regional states, Press TV reported.

Rouhani left Tehran for Ankara for an official two-day visit at the invitation of his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Rouhani will co-chair the fifth Turkey-Iran High Level Cooperation Council meeting in Ankara.

He also hailed what he called Turkey's "firm" stance on unilateral US sanctions against the Islamic republic.

Ties of Turkey, as friendly key regional player, are of high significance to Iran, he stressed.

--IANS

pgh/