Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in the Iraqi capital Baghdad this morning, Sunday, June 28, and was received by Iraqi officials, appeared at a press conference alongside his host counterpart, Fuad Hussein, after meeting with him.
My visit to Baghdad is taking place under very special circumstances
At the beginning of the press conference, Araghchi said: “I sincerely thank my dear friend and brother, Mr. Fuad Hussein, the esteemed Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq, for his warm hospitality and the valuable remarks he made about the relations between the two countries. My visit to Baghdad is taking place under very special circumstances. This is my first foreign visit since the aggression by the US and the Zionist regime against my country and the heroic resistance of the Iranian people during the war and the developments that followed.”
He continued: “The first objective of this visit is to express gratitude to the Iraqi government and people for their valuable support and solidarity with the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Iraqi government adopted clear and responsible positions in condemning this aggression and supporting the Iranian people as victims of this action. The Iraqi people, through their expressions of solidarity and widespread support, gave heart to the Iranian nation. Therefore, I felt it my duty to declare, on my first visit to Baghdad, the gratitude and appreciation of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the brotherly Iraqi government and people.”
The Foreign Minister added: “The second objective of the visit is to congratulate the new Iraqi government. This is my first visit after the formation of the new government under Mr. Al-Zeidi. I take this opportunity to congratulate him on the formation of the new government, as well as the re-election of my dear brother, Mr. Fuad Hussein, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and to emphasize the continuation of the distinguished relations and strategic partnership between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq.”
The head of the diplomatic apparatus noted: “The third objective of my visit is the necessary coordination for the funeral procession of the pure body of Iran’s martyred leader in the cities of Baghdad, Kazimain, Karbala, and Najaf. Millions of Iraqis had announced their readiness and requested to participate in this funeral, and finally, with the prudence and very commendable cooperation of the Iraqi government, it was decided that the funeral procession of the pure body would be held in Iraqi cities, especially in the holy shrines.”
He added: “We thank the Iraqi government and the Prime Minister of Iraq, who formed a committee for this purpose, and today we will have joint meetings with that committee to finalize the necessary coordination and cooperation, and hopefully, this great movement will be carried out in full glory. The final objective of my visit is to review our bilateral relations. Our cooperation in economic, political, and security fields has many dimensions, which I have discussed and will discuss in today’s meetings.”
Araghchi, noting that he had a good discussion today with Mr. Fuad Hussein and discussed all the mentioned matters, noted: “The strategic relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq are very valuable, and we are determined to continue these relations. In the important meetings I will have today, I will emphasize this point.”
The head of the diplomatic apparatus said: “I briefed Mr. Fuad Hussein on the latest developments regarding the war imposed on the Iranian people, the negotiations that took place, and the memorandum of understanding signed between Iran and the US. Particularly the recent developments in the Strait of Hormuz and Lebanon. According to the memorandum of understanding, the Strait of Hormuz – under the management that Iran will adopt – will return to its pre-war capacity within 30 days after the removal of obstacles by the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Araghchi noted: “These arrangements are currently being adopted and implemented, and the responsibility lies with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and no other body or country has any responsibility in this regard according to the memorandum of understanding. Any interference in this matter and any attempt to adopt new or separate arrangements from what is being carried out by the Islamic Republic will only complicate the situation and delay the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and will raise the tension level.”
The Foreign Minister noted: “As we witnessed in the past two nights, incidents in the Strait of Hormuz led to increased tensions and conflicts. I request all parties not to interfere in the matter of managing the Strait of Hormuz and the arrangements being adopted by the Islamic Republic of Iran for its reopening, to adhere to the signed memorandum of understanding, and not to allow this memorandum to deviate from its course.”
Araghchi continued: “Also, according to Article 1 of the memorandum of understanding, the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, must end. We regret that the Zionist regime continues its attacks. It is the responsibility of the US government, according to the commitment it accepted in the memorandum on behalf of itself and the Zionist regime, to stop the regime’s attacks and allow the cessation of war to be established there and withdrawal from occupied areas – which is also one of the provisions of Article 1 of the memorandum. Today, I discussed this with Mr. Fuad Hussein.”
The Foreign Minister concluded by saying: “We discussed regional security, the security structure of the region, and its future. The recent war has taught many lessons to all countries in the region, and I believe that with the new approach that has been created, the security of the important Persian Gulf region must be reconsidered by all countries in the region, and we must reach a new framework that includes all countries in the region without the presence and interference of any country from outside the region. In this regard, we welcome the proposal of Mr. Fuad Hussein to hold dialogues between the PGCC countries, Iran, and Iraq – which he described as ‘6 plus 2’ – and we are ready to cooperate with the Iraqi government in this regard.”
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