Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi made a surprise visit to Iran on Monday, the first since assuming his post last year and amid rising regional tensions sparked by Tehran’s destabilizing behavior.
Prior to his departure, he held talks with British Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt on the ongoing crisis between Tehran and London that escalated when Iran seized last week a British tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The move took place two weeks after Britain impounded an Iranian tanker off Gibraltar on suspicion it was breaching European Union oil sanctions against Syria.
A statement from Abdul Mahdi’s office said he discussed with Mordaunt bilateral relations and ways to bolster them to meet the aspirations of the people of Iraq and Britain.
They also tackled the regional crisis and ways to avert escalation.
They stressed the need to achieve security and stability in the Gulf region and Middle East, underscoring the importance of freedom of navigation for all countries and respect for international law.
Circles close to the PM did not disclose the purpose behind his Iran visit, but they said the regional tensions probably prompted it.
Iraq may be hoping to play a role of mediator between Iran, Britain and the United States.
Washington had last week imposed sanctions on Iraqi figures who are close to Tehran.
Head of the Iraqi Center for Political Thought Ihsan al-Shammari told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US had previously blacklisted factions and some figures over their support to Iran. It is an attempt to cut off efforts to finance and support the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The latest sanctions are a message from Washington that anyone supporting the pro-Iran armed factions in Iraq may be targeted by sanctions, he added.
Separately, Muscat announced Monday that Oman's minister responsible for foreign affairs, Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, will visit Iran on Saturday to discuss regional developments, Oman's state news agency said.
Muscat had urged concerned parties to resolve regional tension through diplomacy.
Oman maintains friendly ties with both the United States and Iran and has previously been an important go-between for the two countries.
Bin Alawi had paid a visit to Iraq some ten days ago to address the simmering American-Iranian tensions.
He had last visited Tehran in May.
Washington and Tehran have been at loggerheads since May 2018, when President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from a landmark 2015 deal that put curbs on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
