According to Reuters, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a news conference that Saudi Arabia wanted to resume diplomatic talks with Tehran, a day after the Iraqi prime minister tried to revive talks between the two countries.
Iran and Saudi Arabia severed ties in 2016, and both are supporting their allies in proxy wars across the region, from Yemen to Syria and elsewhere.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited Saudi Arabia and Iran on Sunday to stress the importance of “regional stability”.
An Iraqi government source told AFP on Saturday that al-Kadhimi would visit Saudi Arabia and Iran as part of a mediation to resume relations between the two rival regional powers, which were suspended in 2016.
The Iraqi official explained that during these two official visits, “very important issues related to the mediation of Iraq with the aim of reviving diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran will be discussed.”
Al-Kazemi said in a press conference with Iranian President Ibrahim Ra’isi: “In this meeting, support for the ceasefire in Yemen and the strengthening of efforts to establish peace in it, as well as the emphasis on a peaceful solution, were emphasized.” “This crisis stems from the Yemeni internal will and support for dialogue to end this war, which affected everyone.”
“We discussed the challenges the region is going through and agreed to work together to help calm the atmosphere in our region,” the Iraqi prime minister’s media office wrote in a statement on Twitter.
For decades, Iran and Saudi Arabia have accused each other of destabilizing the Middle East.
Iraq’s two neighbors disagree on regional issues, including the Yemeni war and Iran’s nuclear program, which, despite denials, is suspected of trying to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Source: Lebanon Debate
