According to Steinmeier, Iran and Saudi Arabia – two major regional powers in the Middle East – are far from a rapprochement, which is considered essential for the settlement of the Syrian crisis.
"At this stage it is very difficult to actually bridge the deep trenches between Tehran and Riyadh," Steinmeier said on Monday after a meeting with the Saudi king Salman in Riyadh.
Saudi Arabia was interested in a political resolution, but expressed its distrust of Iran and stated that relations between the two countries are unlikely to improve in the near future.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry proposed to organize a conference on Syria, including the US, Turkey, Russia and Jordan. This idea was proposed by Russia long before, DWN reported.
