Iraqi PM arrives in Iran after Saudi visit to push for revival of Tehran-Riyahd

26/6/2022 19:22

        Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi arrived in Iran on Sunday, Iranian state TV reported, a day after he travelled to Saudi Arabia in a bid to revive talks between the regional rivals to ease years of hostility.
        
        Iran and Saudi Arabia, the leading Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East, severed ties in 2016, with both parties backing allies fighting proxy wars across the region, from Yemen to Syria and elsewhere.
        
        Iran's state TV said, "The Iraqi prime minister has arrived in Tehran with a high-ranking delegation of political and economic officials to discuss regional and bilateral issues."
        
        Tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia rose further in 2019 after an assault on Saudi oil plants that Riyadh blamed on Iran, a charge Tehran denies.
        
        An Iranian official said that "the resumption of talks between Tehran and Riyadh will be discussed during Khadimi's trip to Iran".