Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, in a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki on Friday, welcomed bolstering of economic cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar said the United States seeks to keep the region insecure and under critical conditions through sowing discord between Iran and Arab states and forging a fear from Iran.

The top EU foreign policy official urged the United States to engage Iran in direct negotiations about its nuclear program and other issues to try to stabilize the Middle East.