In remarks at a weekly press conference on Monday, Esmaeil Baqaei reacted to comments by the Iraqi prime minister regarding efforts to hold a meeting between Iran and the US in Baghdad, as well as a claim published by The Washington Post.
Baqaei said it is commendable that the Iraqi friends, just as Iran is concerned about security, are also attentive to issues related to regional peace.
He noted that Iran has supported well-intentioned regional efforts, adding that Iraqi officials and other countries in the region are fully aware that the condition for any negotiation process is the commitment of the parties to the principles of negotiations.
As long as such commitment does not exist, the initiation of a negotiation process could not be considered realistic, Baqaei stated, reiterating that Iran has always remained committed to diplomacy.
His comments came after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said Baghdad is actively mediating efforts to bring Iran and the US closer, revealing ongoing high-level communications and noting tentative positive signals from officials on both sides.
In an interview with Al Mayadeen, al-Sudani stated that Iraq is actively seeking to bring the US and Iran closer, saying, "We have an ongoing attempt at communication at the highest levels," while noting that "the matter requires some assurances because dialogues have occurred in other countries, yet commitments were accompanied by threats and intimidation."
He said positive signals have emerged from more than one US and Iranian official regarding openness to resuming dialogue, although disagreements persist over guarantees, the seriousness of the process, and ending policies of pressure and threats.