Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi continued his tour of the Persian Gulf region with a stop in Baghdad yesterday, following visits to Beirut, Damascus, Riyadh and Doha, all in little more than a week.
In Baghdad, Araghchi warned that the entire West Asia region is facing a precarious situation amid Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon, insisting that the Islamic Republic is prepared for any scenario. “We are fully prepared for a wartime situation. We are not afraid of war, but we do not seek it. We will strive for a just peace in Gaza and Lebanon,” he said during a joint press conference with Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, reported IRNA.
Araghchi said his regional tour was aimed at conducting “close consultations and discussions” with regional allies, especially neighboring Iraq, as the region is facing multiple challenges created by the Israeli regime. Stressing the need for regional countries to stop Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon, Araghchi said Iran does not seek tension or to escalate tensions and conflict. However, he made clear that Iran is “ready for war, just as we are prepared for peace.”
In response, Fuad Hussein reportedly cautioned against the widening of hostilities. “The Israeli aggression on Lebanon could lead to the outbreak of another war,” he said.
“Iraq’s stance is firm, we are against using our airspace as part of any military action,” Hussein continued. “The Iraqi government has not made any decision to engage in war. Such decisions rest with the state and its three authorities.”
Araghchi met separately with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’a Al Sudani and President Abdul Latif Rashid. In his meeting with Al Sudani, Araghchi reportedly emphasized the dangerous situation in the region, stressing the need for all countries to intensify their efforts to halt the crimes and aggression of the Zionist regime in Gaza and Lebanon. Al Sudani, for his part, expressed that stopping the military aggression of the Zionist regime against Gaza and Lebanon is Baghdad’s current priority.
