TEHRAN -- Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki said here on Tuesday that Iran plans to hold a conference gathering Shia and Sunni scholars from across the world.

“Iran plans to invite Shia and Sunni scholars from the entire Islamic world to attend a conference to be held in Tehran,” Mottaki told Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always called for unity among Muslims.”

The foreign minister lamented the clashes between Iraqi Shias and Sunnis.

“The roots of the sectarian clashes are outside Iraq. Our efforts are focused on establishing peace and security in Iraq,” he added.

Any attempt to undermine the unity of Shias and Sunnis is doomed to failure, he stated, adding that Tehran believes all regional countries, and especially Iraq’s neighbors, should be more sensitive about the creation of divisions in the war-torn country.