Iraq warns of ‘danger of war’ as Iran’s top diplomat visits

Iraqi leaders are warning of the risks of war during a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, whose country is locked in a tense standoff with the United States.

Zarif’s visit to neighboring Iraq — which is caught in the middle of its two allies, the US and Iran — follows a decision by Washington to deploy 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East.

“We are currently repelling all the efforts of war against Iran, whether economic or military,” Zarif says at a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed Ali al-Hakim.

“We will face them with strength and we will resist,” he adds.

For his part, Hakim said: “We stand by our neighbor Iran, and economic sanctions are unnecessary and cause great suffering to the Iranian people.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi warned of the “danger of a war” during a meeting with Zarif on Saturday night, his office says.

Abdel Mahdi pleaded for the “stability of the region and the upholding of the nuclear deal,” it said, referring to a 2015 agreement between Tehran and major powers.

Iraqi President Barham Saleh discussed with Zarif “the need to prevent all war or escalation,” his office said.

— AFP