Iraq warns of ‘danger of war’ as Iranian FM visits Baghdad
Iraqi leaders have warned of the risks of war during a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, whose country is locked in a tense standoff with the United States.
Zarif’s visit to neighbouring Iraq -- which is caught in the middle of its two allies the US and Iran -- follows a decision by Washington to deploy 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi warned of the “danger of a war” during a meeting with Zarif on Saturday night, his office said. Abdel Mahdi pleaded for the “stability of the region and the upholding of the nuclear deal,” it said, referring to a 2015 agreement between Tehran and major powers.Iraqi President Barham Saleh discussed with Zarif “the need to prevent all war or escalation,” his office said.
On Saturday Zarif called the deployment of extra US troops to the region “very dangerous and a threat to international peace and security.”
It follows a US decision in early May to send an aircraft carrier strike force and B-52 bombers in a show of force against what Washington’s leaders believed was an imminent Iranian plan to attack US assets.Washington says the latest reinforcements are in response to a “campaign” of recent attacks including a rocket launched into the Green Zone in Baghdad, explosive devices that damaged four tankers near the entrance to the Gulf, and drone strikes by Yemeni rebels on a key Saudi oil pipeline.Iran has denied any involvement.
Washington has been seeking to tighten sanctions against Iran as relations worsen under US President Donald Trump, who last year pulled out of a nuclear agreement that predecessor Barack Obama had signed with Iran and other world powers in 2015.
In Tehran, President Hassan Rouhani floated the idea of holding a referendum over Iran’s nuclear programme, Iranian media reported.
A referendum over the programme could give Iran’s leaders space to manoeuvre and a chance to resolve the stand-off with the United States.
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