TEHERAN (AFP) - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday (Jan 12) called for countries in the region to bolster ties to overcome turbulence caused by the presence of the US and its allies.

"The current situation in the region demands - more than ever before - strengthening of relations between countries in the region as well as avoiding influence of foreigners'" meddling, Khamenei was quoted as saying on his official Twitter account as he hosted Qatar's emir.

"The reason for the current turbulent situation in our region is the corruptive presence of the US and its cohorts. The only way to confront this is to depend on cooperation within the region," he said.