ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran on Sunday expressed its gratitude to Iraq for playing a key role in mediating regional ties, a day after a top Saudi diplomat also hailed the country for its part in resolving tensions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, in which the two discussed bilateral ties and Iran-Saudi relations.
Abdollahian "expressed Tehran's readiness to continue consultation and opinion exchange ... to pursue issues of common interest in bilateral and regional areas," state media reported.
Iraq has played a key role in facilitating talks between regional rivals Tehran and Riyadh, hosting five rounds of talks between the two. Saudi on Saturday deemed Baghdad’s role as “important and fundamental.”
Hussein affirmed Baghdad's readiness to continue mediating talks "in line with peace and stability of the region" between the regional powerhouses.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has previously stated that his country has a "direct interest" in liaising talks between the countries to achieve regional stability.
Saudi-Iranian relations have been rocky since 1979 when Shia revolutionaries seized power in the latter, pledging to export their revolution to the world, including Gulf countries. Their relations worsened in 2016 after the Sunni kingdom's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric prompted Iranian protestors to attack the Saudi diplomatic mission in Tehran, with Riyadh responding by severing ties with the Islamic republic.
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