US not a friend of Islam, Middle East: Rouhani

Tehran, Nov 14 (IANS) Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Thursday said that the US is not a friend of Islam and has been a major source of problems for the Middle East region.

Addressing an international Islamic unity conference in Tehran, Rouhani said, "Transregional states cannot solve the problems of the region. They have rather been the source of problems."

"The US is not a friend of Islam and the regional states," he said, adding that it has always been a "source of problems, and has brought killings and bloodshed to our region", Xinhua reported, citing IRNA news agency.

He emphasized that regional issues should be resolved through the cooperation of regional states,

"I have sent letters to all leaders of the region over the past weeks and have invited them to drop differences and enmity," Rouhani was quoted as saying.

Rouhani said that Iran is the friend of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and other people in the region.

The 33rd International Islamic Unity Conference in Tehran will focus on the unity of the Muslims in defending Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in Jerusalem, is one of the holiest sites in Islam.

The three-day event will attract 350 religious scholars and political figures from 93 countries and regions.