Iraq hosted a regional conference on Saturday aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East while emphasising the Arab country’s new role as a mediator, Trend reports citing Al Jazeera.
Among the attendees were archenemies Iran and Saudi Arabia, whose rivalry has often played out in Iraq and other countries, including Yemen and Lebanon.
Saudi Arabia said it would be represented by its foreign minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian was also in the Iraqi capital.
Amirabdollahian said Iran stood by Iraq in fighting terrorism, but he highlighted the United States’ “assassination” of Iran’s Major-General Qassem Soleimani and Iraq’s militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike close to the Baghdad airport in January 2020.
“They [the Americans] not only did not bring peace and security for the people of this region but were the main reason for insecurity, and this can be clearly seen in many countries in the region,” the diplomat said in Arabic.
Amirabdollahian expressed regret that Syria was not invited to the summit, and repeated Iran’s stance that stability in the Middle East can only be achieved through regional dialogue and rejection of foreign intervention.