Iran's Zarif To Hold Talks With Iraqi Officials In Baghdad On Saturday - Spokesman

BAGHDAD (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2019) Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif intends to pay a visit to Baghdad on Saturday, during which he will hold negotiations with Iraqi officials, Iraq's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Sahaf told Sputnik on Friday.

"The Iranian foreign minister will visit Baghdad tomorrow," Sahaf said, adding that it would be a one-day visit and Zarif would meet Iraqi officials.

Sahaf stressed that developments in the region as well as bilateral relations of Iran and Iraq would be at the top of the meeting's agenda.

Last week, Sahaf told Sputnik that Iraq was ready to mediate the current crisis of relations between the United States and Iran and would "use every opportunity to be useful to neighbors.

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US-Iran tensions sparked last year when the United States unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran and re-imposed sanctions on the country. On May 8, Iran announced its decision to partially discontinue its obligations under the nuclear agreement. After that the United States has reinforced its presence in the middle East with an aircraft carrier strike group, Patriot missiles, B-52 bombers and F-15 fighter jets. Moreover, earlier on Friday, US President Donald Trump said that Washington would deploy some 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East.