On the second day of Iran’s foreign minister’s visit to Iraq, Baghdad repeated its offer to mediate between Washington and Tehran.
Iraqi foreign minister Mohammed al-Hakim told a joint press conference with Mohammad Javad Zarif, "We are trying to help and to be mediators," adding, "will work to reach a satisfactory solution" while stressing that Iraq stands against unilateral steps taken by Washington.
But both Iran and the United States have repeated in recent days that they are not in any secret contacts.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi was quoted as saying during a visit to Oman on May 26 that Tehran denies reports it has started discussions with Washington.
Despite these denials, it was noteworthy that diplomatic contacts between Oman and Iran have intensified for the past one week. Oman, which has friendly ties with the Islamic Republic, played a crucial role in 2013 by mediating to jump start nuclear talks.
Zarif in Baghdad did not mention any possible talks with the U.S. but called for a non-aggression agreement between Iran and Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region.
In addition to tensions with the U.S. administration, Gulf oil producing Arab states also regard Iran as a serious threat because of its interventions through proxy forces in several countries.