File photo: CGTN

TEHRAN, Jan. 12 (Xinhua) -- Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani arrived in Tehran on Sunday for talks with senior Iranian officials, the Press TV reported.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani welcomed and talked with the Qatari emir at Sadabad Cultural Complex in Tehran.

They talked about "bilateral relations between the two countries and ways of promoting and enhancing them, as well as the latest developments in the region and the regional and international issues of mutual concern," the Press TV said.

The visit comes days after neighboring Iraq turned into a scene of muscling between the United States and Iran.

Qatar has urged both Iran and the United States to exercise self-restraint amid the escalating tensions and avoid "taking Iraq and the region into endless violence."