Iran’s Foreign Minister in Baghdad for talks over ‘critical situations’ in the region

Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Baghdad on Sunday to discuss the “critical situations” in the region, with Israel’s threat to retaliate against Iran’s recent missile attack hanging over his country.
Mr Araghchi is set to meet Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani and his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, an Iraqi diplomat told The National.
The visit is meant to continue “consultations with Muslim countries on critical situations in our region as the result of the Israeli regime’s genocidal attacks and aggressions in Gaza and Lebanon”, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said on X.
Early this month, Iran launched a barrage of between 180 and 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. Israel said several airbases were hit but the attack appeared to do little damage to infrastructure, with military operations unaffected. Israel has threatened to retaliate, putting the region on edge.
Baghdad is Mr Araghchi’s third stop in a tour of regional states after visiting Saudi Arabia and Qatar. He met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Riyadh on Wednesday, after which they called for an end to the wars in Gaza and Lebanon. He headed to Doha the following day and met Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Sources told The National that Tehran has sought the support of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and other nations in the Middle East to de-escalate tension that could exacerbate the conflict in the region.
Diplomatic sources said Mr Araghchi’s tour is aimed at “defending” Iran’s position regarding the war with Israel. Part of his trip is aimed at seeking “political support” from key Gulf and Arab countries to “reach a ceasefire in Gaza and stop the war in Lebanon and prevent a wider war in the region”, they said.