Iraqi FM: Baghdad ready to host Gulf-Iran talks

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Sunday that disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz had severely affected Iraq's financial and economic situation by disrupting oil exports, adding that Baghdad was ready to host talks between Gulf states and Iran to help reach a regional settlement.

Speaking at a joint press conference in Baghdad with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, Hussein said the visit came after the talks in Switzerland, the signing of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, and the formation of Iraq's new government. Despite the agreement, he noted, military operations and clashes were continuing around the Strait of Hormuz.

Hussein reaffirmed that dialogue remains the cornerstone of Iraq's foreign policy, stressing Baghdad's rejection of war and attacks against any country. He said Iraq had helped facilitate contacts between Tehran and Washington and sought to narrow differences between the two sides before the conflict escalated into war.

On relations with Iran, Hussein described the ties as historical, geographic, cultural, religious, economic, and strategic, thanking Araghchi for keeping the Iraqi government informed throughout the negotiations and the conflict.

The Iraqi foreign minister added the fighting had caused heavy casualties across several countries, including Iraq, which he said had come under attacks from multiple directions, warning that continued hostilities would only deepen the region's destruction.

Read more: Iraq after the regional ceasefire: US bases and unresolved political questions

Baghdad has put forward proposals to help end the conflict and is prepared to host representatives from Iran and the Gulf states for talks on regional security, Hussein said. "We are ready to serve both sides to end the state of war…The presence of the Iranian foreign minister in Baghdad among his family and friends is very important at this time.”

Earlier today, Araghchi arrived in the Iraqi capital for a one-day official visit. Sources told Shafaq News that his talks with Iraqi officials would cover Baghdad's readiness to settle dues related to Iranian gas exports, the possible release of frozen Iranian funds and assets held in several countries, including Iraq, under the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, as well as security concerns involving Iranian opposition groups based in Iraq and other political and regional issues.

Read more: No exit but Hormuz: Iraq's economic vulnerability exposed