RFE
21 May 2019, 23:46 GMT+10
Iraq will send delegations to Washington and Tehran to help 'end tension' amid concerns of a possible military conflict between the United States and Iran, the Iraqi prime minister has said.
Adel Abdul Mahdi said on May 21 that Iraq, which has close ties to both Iran and the United States, is 'playing a role to calm the situation but it is not a mediation,' according to state-run Iraqi media.
Relations between Tehran and Washington have plummeted since the United States a year ago pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal that curbed Iran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from crippling economic sanctions.
Since then, Washington has stepped up its rhetoric and reimposed sanctions.
Washington has ordered a beefing up of U.S. military assets in the Middle East and Persian Gulf, citing 'imminent threats' from Iran, and ordered the evacuation of personnel from the U.S. Embassy in neighboring Iraq.
Tehran has dismissed the U.S. allegations.
Mahdi said that Iranian and U.S. officials have informed Baghdad that they have 'no desire in fighting a war.'
There are no Iraqi groups that wanted to push toward a war, the Iraqi prime minister added, two days after a rocket was fired into the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad and landed about 500 meters from the U.S. Embassy.
No one has claimed responsibility, but U.S. government sources were quoted as saying that Shi'ite militias with ties to Tehran were suspected to be behind the attack.
Mahdi said he will visit Kuwait on May 22 to discuss regional issues, including the tensions between Washington and Tehran.
Based on reporting by Reuters, dpa, and AP
Copyright (c) 2018. RFE/RL, Inc. Republished with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036
Get a daily dose of Iraq Sun news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Iraq Sun.
More InformationMADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. President...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. President...
GENEVA, Switzerland: A new United Nations report alleges that dozens of global corporations are profiting from and helping sustain...
LONDON, UK - Lawmakers in the United Kingdom have voted overwhelmingly to proscribe the direct-action group Palestine Action as a terrorist...
BEIJING, July 5 (Xinhua) -- No dull rows of chairs and tables, no endless slides of charts and numbers -- instead, a gleaming statue...
Washington [US], July 5 (ANI): United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran has not agreed to inspections of its nuclear...
Washington [US], July 5 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Friday welcomed Hamas's response to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal,...