Calling for stronger ties with Iraq, Iranian officials have hailed what they called the " increasing" role of Iraq in the regional development.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei said Monday that Tehran is pleased with the increasing authority of Iraq both in the region and in the entire Arab world, the official IRNA news agency reported.

Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. He referred to the meeting of the Arab League (AL) held recently in the Iraqi capital Baghdad as an another sign of Iraq's authority, and said the meeting put the country at the head of the AL, according to the report.

Efforts to promote the scientific status of Iraq will further stabilize the position of the Iraqi nation and government in the region, the Iranian leader said, adding that the Iraqi nation will face a brighter future.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Sunday that Iran and Iraq should use all capacities to develop bilateral relations and solve regional issues in favor of their nations, the local satellite Press TV reported.

If Tehran and Baghdad are powerful, there will be no place in the region for the enemies "including the United States and the Zionist regime (of Israel)," Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying.

There is no barrier to the development of political, economic and cultural relations between Iran and Iraq, Ahmadinejad said in a meeting with al-Maliki, who arrived in Tehran on Sunday for a two-day official visit.

The Iraqi prime minister, for his part, referred to the growing ties between the two countries and expressed hope that his talks in Tehran would pave the way for the further expansion of mutual relations.

Al-Maliki said Tehran and Baghdad can join hands in bolstering stability and security in the region and in overcoming the existing challenges through understanding and paying respect to the rights of all nations, said the report.

Iran's First Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi also called on Sunday for closer ties between Iran and Iraq.

In a meeting with al-Maliki, Rahimi expressed hope that Maliki' s trip to Iran would open a new chapter in the two countries' relations, Press TV reported.

Relations between the Iranian and Iraqi nations and governments are unique and unbreakable, he was quoted as saying.

"If the two countries become united in an all-out manner, they will become a big power in the world," Rahimi said, according to Press TV.

For his part, al-Maliki called for the implementation of signed agreements and more collaboration between Tehran and Baghdad in fields such as energy, oil, infrastructure and commerce.

Furthermore, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili said Monday that as the U.S. forces have withdrawn from Iraq, Tehran is keen to share its security experience with Baghdad, the semi- official Mehr news agency reported.

Jalili, who is also the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, underlined the expansion of Tehran-Baghdad cooperation as a means to boost regional stability and progress, IRNA reported.

In the meeting, Jalili said the fate of talks between Iran and six world powers -- Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States plus Germany (P5+1) -- scheduled next month in Baghdad depends on the world powers' "proper understanding" of Iran's potential on the international stage, which provides an opportunity for cooperation, Mehr reported.

The West's dialogue-pressure approach towards Iran's nuclear program has already failed, he was quoted as saying.

The latest round of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 concluded in Turkey's Istanbul earlier this month, with both sides describing the talks as positive and agreeing to meet again in Baghdad on May 23.

Iraqi Ambassador to Iran Mohammad Majid al-Sheikh expressed hope about the outcome of the upcoming nuclear talks in Baghdad, Press TV reported Monday.

"In the Baghdad meeting, there will be no talks of threats and members of the P5+1 will take part in the talks with an understanding that Iran has a right to develop nuclear energy," the ambassador said.

Al-Sheikh also said Sunday that Baghdad is a suitable venue for the upcoming nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1.