President Mahmud Ahmadinejad said here on Sunday that Iran, as a powerful country, is the best friend of its neighbors and the best guarantor of regional security. Speaking with Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Mohammad Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah, Ahmadinejad said that Iran is willing to turn the Persian Gulf into a gulf of friendship and brotherhood through expanding brotherly ties with regional states. He called Iran-Kuwait ties very deep and valuable, adding that the expansion of bilateral ties in the cultural, political, and social spheres would strengthen the security of the two countries. The president stressed that Iran considers the security of Kuwait to be connected to the security of the Islamic Republic, adding that Tehran also considers it its duty to support the interests of Muslim countries.