Tehran [Iran], February 7: Iran's Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein had a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on February 6, a few days after the US military conducted air strikes against more than 85 Iranian-related targets in Iraq and Syria.
During the phone call, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein emphasized the need to return to the negotiating table on the future of the international military alliance led by the US in Iraq, according to Reuters citing a statement from the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Negotiations between Iraq and the United States began in January, but less than 24 hours later, three American service members were killed in an attack in Jordan that the United States blamed on Iran-backed militias in Syria and Iraq implemented. Negotiations have paused since then.
In retaliation for the January 28 attack in Jordan, the US military on February 2 conducted air strikes in both Iraq and Syria, targeting more than 85 targets related to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). and Tehran-backed militias.
Also in the phone call, Mr. Hussein told Mr. Blinken that the Iraqi government rejected such attacks, emphasizing: "Iraq is not an arena to resolve disputes between rival countries."
The US has 2,500 soldiers in Iraq, playing the role of advising and supporting local forces to prevent the rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS). Previously in 2014, IS occupied most of Iraq and Syria before being defeated.
Hundreds of soldiers from most European countries also joined the US-led coalition in efforts to prevent the rise of IS.
The Iraqi government says IS has been defeated and the coalition's work is over, but a US troop withdrawal would likely increase concerns in Washington about Iran's influence over Iraq's ruling elite, according to Reuters. Iraq seeks to establish bilateral relations with coalition members, including military cooperation on training and equipment.
Mr. Hussein also formally asked the US Treasury to review the sanctions it had imposed on several Iraqi banks, asking whether those sanctions were imposed because of compliance issues. US wishes or "other political reasons ".
In July 2023, Washington banned 14 Iraqi banks from conducting transactions in USD as part of a broader crackdown on illegal use of USD, according to Reuters.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
