Kerry urges Iran to help end wars in Yemen, Syria

US Secretary of State John Kerry urged Iran on Thursday to help end wars in Yemen and Syria, where Tehran and its Gulf Arab rivals are backing opposing sides.

Kerry called on Iran to "help us end the war in Yemen... help us end the war in Syria, not intensify, and help us to be able to change the dynamics of this region," he told a news conference in Bahrain ahead of a meeting with his Gulf counterparts.

He said Tehran should "prove to the world that it wants to be a constructive member of the international community and contribute to peace and stability".

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed al-Khalifa, whose government accuses Iran of stoking persistent protests among the kingdom's Shiite majority for an end to Sunni minority rule, echoed the call.

"Yes, we do want to see Iran change its foreign policy," he said, speaking alongside Kerry.

All the Gulf Arab states, apart form Oman, are taking part in a Saudi-led coalition that has been battling Iran-backed rebels in Yemen since March last year in a war which the United Nations says has killed around 6,300 people.

The Gulf Arab states have also been staunch backers of Syrian rebel groups who have been fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's regime since 2011.

Iran, with Russia, has been among the regime's principal supporters in the conflict that has killed more than 270,000 people and pushed nearly five million into exile.
SourcE: AFP