Tehran - Turkish efforts to improve Tehran-Washington ties were dampened Wednesday when Iran's leader said that no change has yet been witnessed in the policies of US President Barack Obama.

"The US government is continuing its previous course and there are no signs indicating that the Americans would make up for their previous mistakes," Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told visiting Turkish President Abdullah Gul.

Tehran - Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Wednesday in Iran that member states of a regional economic grouping must help the global fight against terrorism.

Speaking at the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in Tehran, Gul also said the grouping could work together to help resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Turkey, together with Iran and Pakistan, founded the ECO in 1985.

Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan later joined the group.

Baghdad  - Iranian artillery fire Tuesday night killed a two- year-old child and injured his parents in a northern Iraqi village near the Iranian border, Iraqi radio reported Wednesday.

Iranian forces fired artillery rounds for two hours into the village near Zarawa, a police official told the Voices of Iraq (VOI) news agency. Zarawa is more than 500 kilometres north of Baghdad.

The child's mother is in a stable condition, but the father's health is critical, the official added.

Tehran  - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday opened a regional economic summit in Tehran and called on the member states of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) to increase political and economic cooperation.

Iran, Pakistan and Turkey founded the ECO in 1985. Later Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan joined the group.

Ahmadinejad said the central Asian bloc should work harder to become an influential international organisation.

New York - Iran supplied arms to Syria in violation of a UN Security Council resolution banning arms transfer as part of measures against Iran's nuclear activities, the United States and Britain said Tuesday.

Details of the arms transfer to Syria were not made public, but the US and British ambassadors called for efforts to stop weapons deals between Tehran and Damascus.

US Ambassador Susan Rice said the 15-nation council should take action to end Iran's weapons procurement to Syria.

Tehran - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to attend the 10th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) as guest and observer.

Iran, Pakistan and Turkey founded the ECO in 1985. Later Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan joined the group.

Talabani was in Tehran three weeks ago and discussed with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad expansion of bilateral ties.