DUBAI (Reuters) - A U.S. agreement to set up a safe zone in northern Syria, a close ally of Iran, is “provocative and worrisome”, the Iranian foreign ministry was reported to have said by the semi-official Fars news agency.

The United States and Turkey last week agreed to set up a joint operations center for a proposed zone along Syria’s northeast border.

“Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi ... said the recent announcements and agreements by American officials about creating a safe zone in northern Syria are provocative and worrisome,” Fars reported.