Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein

In a conversation with the Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, who was in Tehran on Monday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi praised Iraq for mediating the reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia and noted that improving and bolstering ties between the two countries will benefit regional security.

Raisi, praising Iraq's contribution to favorable regional developments said “The initiatives offered and measures taken by Iraq to improve cooperation among regional countries free from foreign meddling play an effective role in bolstering regional collaboration.”

The Iranian President emphasized that the fulfillment of agreements made in those meetings would open the way for future promotion of the two sides' relations while pointing out that the five rounds of negotiations between Tehran and Riyadh, which were mediated by Iraq, were fruitful and valuable.

Additionally, he highlighted that the only way to bring about security and stability in Iraq would be to engage in talks with all political factions based on the nation's constitution and with the intention of forming a new government.

The Iraqi FM, for his part, praised Iran for its consistent assistance in establishing peace and security in Iraq and declared that his nation will keep working to strengthen ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In an interview for the Iranian state television, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian indicated that his Iraqi counterpart informed Tehran that Riyadh expressed its readiness to launch a public dialogue at the political level.

Saudi Arabia decided to cut ties with Iran in January 2016, after tensions rose following Riyadh's execution of Saudi opposition cleric Sheikh Nimr Al-Nimr.

In mid-March, Tasnim News Agency reported that talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia have been temporarily suspended following Riyadh's mass execution of 81 people, including 41 from the peace protest movement in Al-Ahsa and Qatif, seven Yemenis, and one Syrian, claiming that they were "involved in terrorist cases inside the Kingdom" without providing any proof.