Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein was in Tehran on Sunday for talks with Iranian officials aimed at de-escalating tension with the US as anti-government protests have engulfed Iran.
Mr Hussein will discuss "Iraqi diplomatic initiatives to prevent the region from sliding into a new conflict", a government official told The National. He said Baghdad “seeks to bring viewpoints closer through hosting direct negotiations between the US and Iran”.
The Foreign Minister's mission is backed by all authorities and parties in Iraq, he added.
On Saturday, Mr Hussein held talks over the phone with his French, Turkish and Saudi counterparts. They discussed regional escalation and ways to decrease tension.
The talks in Tehran are expected to focus on the security implications of the US-Iran standoff, particularly its impact on Middle East stability and Iraq in particular. Iran has accused the US and Israel of fuelling instability, while Washington has condemned Iran's clamp down on protesters.
Public rallies against economic hardship began on December 28 and swelled into widespread demonstrations calling for the end of clerical rule in Iran.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, acknowledged that thousands of people have been killed during the nationwide protests but blamed the US for the high death toll.
In a speech, Mr Khamenei said people had been killed, “some in an inhuman, savage manner”. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (Hrana) puts the death toll at more than 3,300. A continuing internet shutdown blackout has made it difficult to obtain information from inside Iran.
