Iraq: prime minister shuttles between Riyadh and Tehran

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi announced on Sunday that his country and Iran have agreed to work towards bringing stability to the Middle East. The announcement was made as a result of his shuttle diplomacy between Riyadh and Tehran, where he held meetings with senior Saudi and Iranian officials.

Al-Kadhimi met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in Riyadh in an attempt to revive the Kingdom’s talks with Iran, which have been suspended for months. Earlier, an Iranian official told Reuters that the Iraqi prime minister would discuss the resumption of Iran-Saudi talks during his visit to Tehran. “Talks among officials in the region would resolve all the problems,” said the official.

Iran and Saudi Arabia suspended mutual relations in 2016 after each became embroiled in proxy wars with difference axes in the region. Last year, they started to hold talks to end their differences. The last of five rounds of discussions was held in April after talks were suspended for a month following the Saudi government’s execution of 81 people, 41 of whom were Shia Muslims.

In March, de facto ruler Bin Salman advocated a policy of “coexistence” with Iran. His statement was welcomed by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdullahian.

At the end of the talks in April, Al-Kadhimi said that he was confident about there being a “close understanding” between Riyadh and Tehran.

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