Syria's parliament speaker on Monday paid tribute to Iran for its "effective role" in helping his embattled government overcome sanctions and fight an armed rebellion.

Jihad al-Lahham made the remarks during a visit to Tehran, the Damascus regime's main regional ally which provides the government of President Bashar Assad with both financial and military help.

An Iranian officer has been killed near the Iraqi city of Ramadi while advising Iraqi forces on how to recapture it from the Islamic State group, state media reported Monday.

Jassem Nouri, who had also served as a military adviser in Syria, was killed on Thursday, Iran's official IRNA news agency reported.

Iran says a magnitude-4.4 earthquake has jolted a sparsely populated district some 110 kilometers (70 miles) northwest of Bushehr, home to the Islamic Republic's only operational nuclear power plant. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

Iran's official IRNA news agency says the epicenter of the quake was the town of Emam Hassan and that it struck around 4:30 a.m. Monday (0000 GMT, 8 p.m. EDT).

Saudi Arabia and Egypt said Sunday they shared a "common vision" on the war in Yemen, where a Riyadh-led coalition is waging a bombing campaign against Iran-backed rebels.

The coalition, which includes Egypt, began air raids in March targeting Huthi Shiite rebels and allied forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh in Yemen.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi sought to reassure Saudi Arabia Sunday that Iraq is not a "gateway for Iran" and will not take part in regional conflicts between the two countries.

"Iraq is not a gateway for Iran," Abadi said in an interview with Iraqiya state TV.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that the government aims to hold "free" parliamentary elections next year, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"The success of the government to is to hold free, healthy and competitive elections," Rouhani said in a speech to governors and provincial governors.

The Syrian government has abandoned Idlib to concentrate on regions deemed vital for its survival, a security source and monitor said Friday, allowing al-Qaida to seize the province's last regime-held city.

Rebels now control the vast majority of Idlib province after al-Nusra Front -- al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate -- and its allies overran Ariha and surrounding villages on Thursday.

An exiled Iranian opposition group accused Tehran Thursday of a "vast collaboration" with North Korea in developing nuclear arms, alleging that experts from both countries made regular intelligence-sharing visits.

"The Iranian regime continues to collaborate with North Korea on nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles," the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said in a report citing sources close to the Iranian government.

A senior Iranian official Thursday rejected the idea of ​​a Syria no-fly zone, which Turkey wants, saying it would be "a mistake" and would not restore security to the region.

"Talk of the establishment of a buffer and no-fly zone is the repetition of previous mistakes and will not help with security and stability in the region," deputy foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said.

The "tenacious" top U.S. negotiator in talks with Iran on curtailing its nuclear program will leave her post after a June 30 deadline for an agreement, a senior State Department official said Thursday.

Secretary of State John Kerry was effusive in his praise of Wendy Sherman, 65, describing her as "indefatigable, tough and creative" and saying she had played a central role in reining in Tehran's nuclear ambitions.