Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, speaking in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, has called for "foreign troops" to leave the Gulf.
Ahmadinejad, whose two-day visit to the UAE is the first by an Iranian president since 1979, also called on Sunday for the two nations to build closer trade and diplomatic ties.
"We all wish that foreign troops would leave the region and give a chance to countries in the region to establish security in the region themselves," Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying during a meeting with Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, the UAE president.
"With each other's help, we can turn the Persian Gulf to the gulf of peace and friendship."
The United Arab Emirates is an important regional hub for the US military.
Ahmadinejad, whose two-day visit to the UAE is the first by an Iranian president since 1979, also called on Sunday for the two nations to build closer trade and diplomatic ties.
"We all wish that foreign troops would leave the region and give a chance to countries in the region to establish security in the region themselves," Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying during a meeting with Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, the UAE president.
"With each other's help, we can turn the Persian Gulf to the gulf of peace and friendship."
The United Arab Emirates is an important regional hub for the US military.