ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein stated on Monday that Iraq is exerting intense diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. Hussein’s remarks came just days after he urged Tehran to pursue dialogue with the United States despite the escalation. In a Monday phone call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, Hussein reaffirmed Iraq’s “clear and firm” rejection of the Israeli “aggression on Iran,” stressing that the Iraqi government is exerting “diligent efforts through diplomatic channels to prevent [further] escalation and achieve a ceasefire.” A statement from the Iraqi foreign ministry further quoted Hussein as affirming that "Iraq will continue to play its regional and international role in seeking de-escalation and containing the crisis within frameworks that can be politically and diplomatically managed." The statement further quoted Araghchi as stating that “the Zionist entity seeks to expand the scope of the war to include the Gulf region,” which Tehran rejects. “The ongoing [Iranian] operations are a defensive response to the Zionist aggressions,” Araghchi stressed, warning of "the repercussions of any additional escalation on the region's security and stability." This is the second call the two foreign ministers have held in the past few days, which comes “as part of continuous communication and political coordination” to address the ongoing developments, the foreign ministry explained. Hussein had, in his first call with Araghchi on Friday, urged Tehran to “prioritize dialogue” with the United States through Omani mediation, despite the conflict with Israel, “in order to reach solutions that contribute to de-escalating the situation and enhancing security and stability in the region." Israel on Friday launched a massive aerial assault on Iran, killing several top military commanders and nuclear scientists. In turn, Iran has fired waves of missile and drone attacks against Israeli territories, hitting vital targets in Israel’s northern port city of Haifa and the central economic hub of Tel Aviv. The Israeli military action notably came two days ahead of the sixth session of talks between Iran and the United States. The two sides have been engaging in Oman-mediated, indirect nuclear negotiations since April 12. However, Iranian officials canceled their participation in the sixth round, calling the talks "meaningless" in light of continued Israeli attacks. Despite this, Araghchi on Sunday told Iranian state media that “an end to Israel’s aggression would pave the way for renewed diplomatic engagement” with Washington. At the same time, US President Donald Trump on Monday suggested that Iran may be seeking negotiations to de-escalate the conflict with Israel. Speaking on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada, Trump said, “They would like to talk, but they should have done that before,” adding, “but I'd say Iran is not winning this war, and they should talk and they should talk immediately before it is too late.” Since the beginning of the conflict, Iran says that over 224 people - mostly civilians - have been killed in Israeli attacks since Friday. Meanwhile, Israel has also reported 24 civilian deaths from Iran’s retaliatory strikes.
