The Iranian foreign minister who arrived in Iraq on Saturday evening held separate meetings with a number of renowned political figures of the Arab country in capital Baghdad on Sunday.
Zarif attended separate rounds of talks with Head of the National Wisdom Movement of Iraq Seyed Ammar al-Hakim, Head of the Badr Organization Hadi al-Amiri, and Leader of the National Coalition Ayad Allawi.
In a post on his Twitter account on Sunday evening, Zarif said, “In Iraq, where I've held substantive and productive meetings with the President, PM, Speaker, FM & leadership of two parliamentary coalitions.”
He also highlighted the efforts to avoid violence in the region, saying, “(I) Proposed regional non-aggression pact: #NeighborsFirst.”
The top Iranian diplomat met with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi shortly after arriving in Baghdad and discussed the latest developments in Iraq and the region.
Zarif has also held a meeting with President of Iraq Barham Salih for talks on a range of issues, including Tehran-Baghdad ties and regional and international developments.
Zarif’s trip to the neighboring country comes at a time of heightened American attempts to isolate Iran and mount economic pressures on Tehran.
On Wednesday, an American envoy to Baghdad said Washington has exempted Iraq from some of its unilateral anti-Iran sanctions, allowing the Arab country to continue importing energy from Iran.
US President Donald Trump’s administration announced plans in March to extend a 90-day waiver for the second time to let Iraq continue energy imports from Iran.