Mohsen Rezai, an Iranian presidential hopeful, reportedly claimed that Iran is better equipped than the United States to help resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh situation and other regional conflicts.

"Iranian foreign policy in the region must be strengthened. If so it could ward off regional disputes and ongoing wrangling," Rezai was quoted by the Iran-based Press TV news network as saying. He reportedly made the remark in a campaign speech in Tabriz, the capital of Iran's East Azerbaijan province, on June 6. Iran's presidential election is scheduled for June 12.

According to the Press TV report, "Rezai said that an active Iranian foreign diplomacy could guarantee a significant breakthrough in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement" and "if elected president, he will promote a diplomacy rooted in peace and amicability vis-à-vis regional crises and seek to bridge divisions among regional states so that they will pin their hopes on Tehran as a mediator rather than Washington." Rezai is considered a long-shot to win the presidential vote.