Iran's foreign minister calls his Jordanian counterpart

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, made an “unusual” phone call to his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi, during which they discussed bilateral relations and ways to develop them, as well as regional issues of common interest, reports Anadolu Agency.

In a statement, the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the two ministers discussed efforts to resolve regional crises, communication and dialogue paths in the region to resolve differences, build regional relations that promote security and stability and serve the interests of all its peoples and countries.

Safadi said, “The Kingdom always works for dialogue and wants healthy regional relations based on the principle of good neighbourliness and non-interference in internal affairs.”

The two ministers expressed keenness to develop relations and to continue communication and frank dialogue on all issues in a way that contributes to strengthening the relations between the two countries and resolving regional differences, according to the statement.

The Iranian minister’s contact with his Jordanian counterpart is unusual, as Amman always says that Tehran has expansionist policies and interferes in the internal affairs of Arab countries.

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These accusations are also levelled by other Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia. Iran usually denies their validity, and says that it is committed to good neighbourly relations.

The phone call also comes after accelerated measures to normalise relations between Jordan and the Syrian regime, Tehran’s ally, the most recent of which was a call made by the President of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad, with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, on 3 October.

Last July, the King of Jordan announced, during an interview with CNN, that his country had been attacked by Iranian-made drones.

When King Abdullah was asked about the impact of Iran’s exit from the 2015 international nuclear agreement, and his previous warning of what he called the “Shiite crescent,” he said: “I would like to clarify here that when I spoke about the Shia crescent, I meant the Iranian crescent from a political point of view.”

In 2004, the Jordanian monarch, during an interview with an American newspaper, warned of the danger of a “Shia crescent”.

Jordanian-Iranian relations witnessed a major rupture that lasted nearly two decades, after Jordan supported Iraq in its war against Iran in the 1980s.