"... and most importantly the two sides discussed the ways to bring peace and stability in the region and how to work on mitigating the tensions which are on the rise in the region,” read a statement from Abdul-Mahdi's office.
They also spoke about improving bilateral relations, detailed Abdul-Mahdi who arrived in Tehran on Monday according to the Prime Minister's media office.
Mordaunt's office did not provide an immediate readout of the exchange. The Iraqi PM said the UK official had initiated the telephone call.“The two sides also insisted on the importance of bringing peace and security back to the Gulf region and the Middle East, especially the importance of oil tanker movements in the straits and around the world, and finally both sides agreed to cooperate to achieve those goals,” the Iraqi statement added.
The phone call came as tensions with Iran and the West have reached new levels in June. Iran has locked horns with the United States and now with the United Kingdom and the European powers over the freedom of navigation of strategic straits in Gibraltar and Hormuz.
The Iranian oil tanker ‘Grace 1’ was seized in the Strait of Gibraltar by British Royal Marines on July 4 in coordination with authorities from the Gibraltar government. The ship was believed to be carrying around 2 million barrels of Iranian oil and bound for Syria, a violation of EU sanctions.
Then, Iran's Islamic Republic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) boarded the British-flagged Stena Impero ship on Friday, despite repeated warnings by a nearby British warship that the actions were in violation of international law.
The ship then was forced to sail to Bandar Abbas on the Iranian coast in the Persian Gulf. UK, US, European powers condemned Iran’s action and called on Tehran to release the ship.
On Sunday, 160 Iranian parliamentarians signed a letter praising the actions of the IRGC. There are 290 members in the legislature.
Persian Gulf tensions began to rise after the US government cancelled oil waivers to eight main customers of Iranian oil in early May, which prompted Iran to scale back on its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iraq, which is heavily dependent upon Iran for trade and electricity, has sought to stay neutral in the regional and now international squabble. Iraqi leaders such as Abdul-Mahdi do not want their country to become another battleground just as it is rebuilding from multiple conflicts including the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
Oil-dependent Baghdad has already sought to look at different routes for oil exportation amid the mounting tension.
Translation by Lawk Ghafuri
