TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian met on Tuesday with former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and held phone talks with Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Albusaidi.

In his meeting with Abdul Mahdi, the top Iranian diplomat described Iran and Iraq as two lasting friends and two brotherly nations. 

Abdollahian said the potential for political, economic, cultural and people-to-people relations can be put into practice, the Iranian foreign ministry said. 

The Iranian foreign minister praised the actions of Abdul Mahdi and his government when he was prime minister to expand relations between the two countries. Abdollahian stressed Iran's determination to develop relations with the Iraqi government.

Abdollahian added that Iran has always welcomed peace and stability in Iraq and its constructive role in regional relations. He said the Islamic Republic respects the will of the Iraqi people in political decisions.

In the meeting, Abdul Mahdi also pointed to the numerous affinities between Iran and Iraq, describing them as a great asset for intimacy between the two governments and nations.

Iran has recently congratulated Iraq on successfully holding a parliamentary election, which resulted in fierce disputes between Shia politicians. Some Shia political parties accused the government of rigging the vote, underlining the need to annul the results. 

The Iranian foreign minister also held telephone conversation with his Omani counterpart. Abdollahian has stressed the importance of neighboring countries in the foreign policy of the new Iranian government in the telephone conversation.

Abdollahian emphasized the need for continued consultations with Oman on bilateral, regional and international issues and on ways to expand ties in various political and economic fields. The Iranian foreign minister also pointed to the significance of increasing cooperation in all sectors, saying the Islamic Republic is ready to implement the previous deals as well as projects and plans agreed before by the two countries.

The two sides stressed the need to continue talks between Tehran and Muscat on various regional and international issues. They expressed hope that in this period, Iran and Oman will see an increase in cooperation in various fields.

Meanwhile, Abdollahian expressed deep concern over the escalation of violence in Afghanistan, especially in relation to terrorist attacks by the Daesh terror group. The top Omani diplomat renewed his invitation for his Iranian foreign minister to visit Muscat.

Earlier, Abdollahian also held a telephone conversation with Qatari Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani.

The two top diplomats discussed ways to increase bilateral political and economic ties and also developing interactions between the private sectors of the two countries. Abdollahian and Al Thani also held negotiations over issues and latest developments in the Persian Gulf and cooperation in order to maintain peace, stability and security in the Persian Gulf.