Iraqi leaders, Iranian FM meet on Iran-US MoU, regional stability
Baghdad, June 29
Iraqi President Nizar Amedi and Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi held separate meetings here with visiting Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi to discuss the recent Iran-US memorandum of understanding aimed at ending their war.
Amedi stressed the importance of dialogue in fostering a more stable regional environment and paving the way for lasting understandings that address outstanding issues, according to a statement by the Iraqi presidency.
Al-Zaidi affirmed that Iraq supports prioritising an end to wars and adopting dialogue and negotiations as the path toward strengthening stability in the region, noting that this would create greater opportunities for development and prosperity for the peoples of the region, said a statement by his media office.
For his part, Araghchi expressed Tehran's appreciation for Iraq's role in containing crises and bridging differences. He reaffirmed Iran's commitment to building strong relations with its Arab neighbors and maintaining close coordination with Iraq to expand bilateral cooperation, Xinhua news agency reported.
The meetings came amid military exchanges between Washington and Tehran. The United States conducted strikes on Iranian targets on Friday and Saturday, citing "continued Iranian aggression against commercial shipping" in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded by striking US military positions in the region.
Meanwhile, the United States and Iran have agreed to pause mutual attacks "for now" and hold talks on Tuesday in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to work out their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, US media outlet Axios reported.
The two sides will stand down "for now" and "vessels can move freely" as technical talks are set to continue, a US official was quoted as saying.
The Tuesday talks were originally set to be held in Switzerland and focused on Iran's nuclear program. However, renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz prompted the talks to be moved to Doha, shifting the focus to shipping security in the strategic waterway.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone from the US, I'm cautiously optimistic about these talks. But we've seen so many ceasefires and MOUs in the region break down before. I hope Iraq can truly mediate effectively here.
India's dependence on Gulf oil makes us nervous with every flare-up in the Strait. Good that Iraq is stepping up as a peacemaker - they've suffered enough from war. Let's hope the talks in Doha bring real results. 🙏
I'm skeptical. The US and Iran have been at this for decades. "Stand down for now" sounds temporary and vague. Without addressing the nuclear program fundamentally, we're just kicking the can down the road.
Iraq walking the tightrope between Iran and US - that's no easy task. But they've been good at hosting dialogues. For India, a stable Gulf means stable energy prices and our diaspora there stays safe. Win-win if this works.
I appreciate Iraq's role here but let's not forget their own internal issues. And shifting talks from nuclear focus to shipping security feels like a downgrade. The world needs both issues resolved, not just one.
From an Indian perspective, we've always valued peace in the Gulf. Our PM has visited both Iran and
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