TEHRAN (Dispatches) -- President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday Iran has always sought to strengthen relations with Qatar as a friendly nation in the sensitive Middle East region.
Rouhani told Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in a phone call that there are numerous capacities and grounds for expansion of cooperation in the political and economic fields.
Tehran, he said, will continue to support Doha in the face of illegal sanctions imposed by Saudi Arabia against the peninsular Arab country.
The kingdom, along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, cut off diplomatic ties with Qatar in June 2017 after accusing it of sponsoring terrorism.
Rouhani also touched on the unilateral U.S. move to withdraw from a 2015 nuclear deal, commending the stances of European countries, Russia, China, Turkey and Iran's neighbors such as Qatar and their support for the Islamic Republic and objection to the American sanctions.
"These positions must be complemented with practical measures," the Iranian president said.
 Rouhani also invited the Qatari emir to take part at the third Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit in Iran.
The Qatari emir reiterated his country’s rejection of ditching the nuclear deal, saying his country seeks to strengthen relations with both Iran and the U.S.