Disagreements between Saudi Arabia and Iran hamper the fight against terrorism and efforts to settle the Syrian conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

"It definitely complicates efforts to find a solution to the Syrian problem and to solve the problem of combating terrorism, the matter of stopping refugee flows to Europe. This is absolutely obvious," Putin told German Bild newspaper.

Putin noted that Russia has good relations with Iran and that a sustainable partnership is being formed with Saudi Arabia.

He also said that Russia regrets execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al Nimr in Saudi Arabia, but considers an attack on the Saudi embassy in Tehran absolutely unacceptable.

Relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia soured dramatically following the execution of Nimr al Nimr, an outspoken critic of the Saudi monarchy, along with 46 other people convicted of terrorism on January 2.

Source: MENA