BAGHDAD – Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein spoke on the phone with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss the postponement of Iran-Saudi talks in Baghdad.
The two ministers discussed regional security and stability, as well as the reasons for the delay in hosting the fifth round of Saudi-Iranian talks, according to an Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement released on Sunday. The statement reported Hussein as adding, "The Iraqi government would make every effort and spend all of its relations to create an adequate chance for the understanding between Tehran and Riyadh."
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi lauded Iraq's efforts to bring closer viewpoints and strengthen regional security and stability in a phone chat with the Iraqi Minister on Saturday, alluding to Baghdad's sponsorship of the Iran-Saudi Arabia talks.
After protests outside its embassy in Tehran in response to the kingdom's killing of a top Shiite cleric, Saudi Arabia broke diplomatic ties with Iran in January 2016. However, since direct discussions between the two sides resumed in April 2021 after a long gap, Iranian-Saudi ties, which are viewed as critical to Gulf developments, have showed signs of detente.
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