Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi stated from Iran yesterday that Baghdad and Tehran "agreed to seek stability in the Middle East." In response, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi remarked that "dialogue with regional officials can resolve issues without foreign intervention."
During a joint press conference with President Raisi, Al-Kadhimi said they agreed "to de-escalate in the region" and work together for stability and calm, as reported by Reuters. Al-Kadhimi arrived in Tehran following a brief visit to Jeddah with a high-level delegation including political and economic officials to discuss regional and bilateral issues.
The Iraqi News Agency reported Al-Kadhimi saying that the meeting emphasized support for the ceasefire in Yemen and enhancing efforts for peace there, confirming that the peaceful resolution of the crisis should come from the internal will of Yemenis. The Iranian presidency's website quoted Al-Kadhimi saying, "We have agreed to make joint efforts to face food security challenges due to the Ukrainian war."
For his part, Raisi stated that "the bilateral and regional relations between Iraq and Iran can play a significant role in the region and international issues." Raisi highlighted the need to "solve the problems of the Yemeni people and establish a ceasefire in this country as soon as possible." He added, "Lifting the siege on Yemen and Yemenis and Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue could resolve this country's issues and end the tragedies faced by the Yemenis." Raisi declared, "Undoubtedly, the continuation of the war is futile and will only lead to more hardships for the Yemeni people; thus, the war must end quickly, and the ceasefire can be a step toward resolving the issues."
Raisi further stated, "Dialogue with regional officials can solve problems," emphasizing, "We stressed that the presence or intervention of foreigners in the region does not solve problems; rather, it creates more issues. Therefore, we underscored the necessity for regional officials to negotiate together to resolve the problems and issues."
Regarding bilateral relations, Raisi called for "enhancing the relationship further" between Tehran and Baghdad, noting, "We see the Iraqi people as one of the closest peoples to the Iranian people in various fields, and we have closer relations with Iraq in different sectors." He clarified that they agreed to expand political, economic, and commercial relations, and pointed out an agreement to expedite the railway connection project between the port of Basra and the Shalamcheh border area, the last Iranian border point north of Shatt al-Arab in southwestern Iran.
