TEHRAN - Iran’s Ambassador to Iraq Mohammad Kazem Al Sadegh met on Monday with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, briefing him on the latest state of affairs and developments in Iraq and ties between the two countries.

Al Sadegh also informed Amir Abdollahian of measures and coordination that have been made for the purpose of holding the Arbaeen rituals, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

In the meeting, the foreign minister gave some recommendations and instructions to the Iranian ambassador on relations with Iraq. Amir Abdollahian underlined the necessity of making coordination to hold the Arbaeen ceremonies in the best possible way and thanked the precious efforts of the Iraqi government and people to this end.

Iraq has been grappling with a huge crisis since lawmakers of the Sadrist movement collectively resigned from Parliament and subsequently called for a new early election. The Sadrist movement also staged an open-ended sit-in in front of the building of Parliament in a bid to prevent the formation of a new government. And on Tuesday, followers of Muqtada Sadr, the leader of the movement, held another sit-in in front of the Iraqi judiciary.

Iran has called on Iraqis to listen to the voice of reason and enter dialogue. In mid-August, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani called on Iraqi political factions to respect Iraq’s constitution and legal institutions amid political mutiny in the country.
He said developments in Iraq are important to Iran and that Tehran is undertaking efforts to close the gap between Iraq’s political factions.

Speaking at a regular press conference, Kanaani said, “Iraq’s issues are important to us and we closely and meticulously follow this country’s developments. We are trying to help bring the views of this country’s political parties closer together through [our] positive and constructive contacts with Iraq’s various political factions.”

He added, “We call on all Iraq’s political factions to respect the country’s constitution as a national charter and safeguard the legal institutions of the country.” 

Kanaani noted that calm and stability in Iraq can be achieved through consensus among the political factions. “Communication with Iraqi friends and brothers is continuous and we have never been disconnected and separated. It is done through the Iranian embassy in Baghdad and the exchange of delegations, and this positive and constructive communication exists,” he stated.

The Iranian ambassador to Iraq has been in contact with various Iraqi factions as part of his efforts to calm the situation.