Iranian, Gulf Arab officials meet in Baghdad

Reuters –August 28, 202112:39 PM PDT

BAGHDAD, Aug 28 (Reuters) – Iranian and Arab officials met in Baghdad on Saturday on the sidelines of a regional summit that Iraq hoped would encourage its neighbors to talk to each other instead of settling scores on its territory.

The meetings come months after regional foes Iran and Saudi Arabia resumed direct talks in Iraq which have achieved no breakthrough but have helped offset escalating tension in the Middle East.

Iraq’s security has improved in recent years but it is still plagued by big power rivalries, rampant corruption among its own politicians, and heavily armed militia groups.

Competition for influence in the Middle East between Iran on one side and the United States, Israel, and Gulf Arab states on the other has made Iraq the scene of attacks against U.S. forces and assassinations of Iranian and Iraqi paramilitary leaders.

The strained relationships within the region have also led to disruptions to global oil supplies with attacks on Saudi Arabian oil installations – blamed on but denied by Tehran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian met his counterparts from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates on Saturday, officials from the two Gulf Arab states said but provided no further details.

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