The Iranian role in Iraq is supported by Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi as well as Iraqi Sunni leaders, US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Riyadh on Thursday.

The Iranian role in Iraq is supported by Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi as well as Iraqi Sunni leaders, US Secretary of State John Kerry said in Riyadh on Thursday.

One day after completing a round of negotiations with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, Kerry met for an hour Thursday with King Salman at the Diriya Farm outside Riyadh as well as Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal.

Kerry also met at the Riyadh Air Base on Thursday morning with the foreign ministers from the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council, which is made up of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Kerry said that he would convene a meeting in Washington with senior officials from the Persian Gulf states to discuss future security arrangements in the region.