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Iraq seeks to ease Iran-US tensions

Iraqi Prime Minister said his country would launch an official initiative to 'end tensions' between Iran and the US

May 22, 2019 at 1:54 pm

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi yesterday said his country would launch an official initiative to “end tensions” between Iran and the United States (US), Baghdad Today  reported.

A senior Iraqi official source quoted Abdul-Mahdi as saying that he would “send delegations to Tehran and Washington to contain the crisis and put an end to the military escalation.”

The Iraqi premier stressed that his government would not play “a mediation role”, adding that Baghdad would be “a suitable place” for the US-Iranian talks.

Referring to his fears of Iraq being caught in the middle and having the two countries fight on its soil, Abdul-Mahdi pointed out that his government would not “allow Iraq to be a war zone or a launchpad for a war against any state.”

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On Sunday, a rocket was fired into Baghdad’s Green Zone which houses government offices and embassies, including the US mission, days after Washington evacuated staff from Iraq, citing “imminent Iranian threats”. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

“Easing tensions would serve both the interests of Iraq and its people and those of the region in general,” he explained.

Relations between Tehran and Washington have strained since the US pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal last year and placed “unprecedented sanctions” on Iran.