Tehran - Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has held wide-ranging talks on the expansion of bilateral ties, besides regional and international issues, with senior Iranian officials.
The top Iraqi diplomat landed in the Iranian capital on Tuesday, and met and held talks with his counterpart, Muhammad Javad Zarif, later in the day.
Hussein is widely speculated to deliver a formal invitation to new Iranian authorities to attend a key summit for regional leaders that Baghdad plans to hold by the end of the current month.
Iraq intends to bring Iran and Saudi Arabia closer by preparing grounds for bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the upcoming regional summit in Baghdad.
The leaders of Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and several other Middle Eastern countries will get together for the summit.
“Baghdad seeks to end the severance of ties between Tehran and Riyadh following closed-door bilateral meetings,” it said citing a report by Lebanon-based and Arabic-language al-Mayadeen television news network.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibazadeh previously welcomed holding future negotiations with Riyadh.

Japan’s FM Planning Iran Visit for High-Level Talks

Japan’s Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi is scheduled to visit Tehran as part of a tour of the Middle East meant to discuss regional security and the response to the coronavirus pandemic with officials of the new Iranian administration.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, the top Japanese diplomat said he will travel to Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Palestine, Turkey, Qatar, and the Israeli-occupied territories on August 15-24.
“Through the visit, I want to reiterate our commitment to the Middle East, which has contributed to its peace and prosperity over the years,” he said.
‘A new chapter in Iran-Japan ties’
In a tweet on Tuesday, Iran’s Embassy in Tokyo said that the Japanese Foreign minister’s upcoming trip to Tehran could “could open a new chapter in deepening and expanding bilateral relations.”
“Close consultations between the two countries on important regional and international issues will provide an opportunity to exchange views on issues of mutual interest,” the tweet read.
Citing diplomatic sources, The Japan Times newspaper reported last month that Motegi “is planning to visit Iran to build ties with its new government” led by President Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi.
“Motegi is expected to meet his Iranian counterpart, possibly in mid-August, as Japan aims to strengthen its traditionally friendly ties with Iran and discuss issues related to Tehran’s nuclear program,” the report said.
Japan’s official NHK TV channel also reported that Motegi would sit down for talks with his Iranian counterpart as well as other high-ranking officials of the new administration to be formed by Raisi.
The report predicted that the top Japanese diplomat would announce Tokyo’s readiness to strengthen traditional friendship between the two sides during the trip.