‘No war, no peace’ situation between US and Iran ‘cannot continue’, Iraqi FM says

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hussein said the unresolved standoff between the United States and Iran “cannot continue”, warning it must move towards peace or war. He said Iraq has been drawn into the conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel, making mediation a duty for Baghdad.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi travelled to Tehran last week to meet Iran’s lead negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Baghdad is still discussing a US demand to limit open border crossings with Iran to two, which Hussein said would amount to a sanction on Iraqis. He also said oil exports via a route near Oman had risen from 2.2 million to 3.2 million barrels a day, and that talks aim to bring armed groups’ weapons under state control by June 2027.