Al-Sudani at the Riyadh Summit... and American messages may be passed to Tehran via Baghdad

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[size=52]Al-Sudani at the Riyadh Summit... and American messages may be passed to Tehran via Baghdad[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad/ Tamim Al-Hassan[/size]
[size=45]Baghdad seems to be trying to play the role of mediator between Washington and Tehran, to prevent the country from sliding into war.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani left to attend the Riyadh summit on the crisis in the region, while sending more than one security figure to Iran.
Official Iraq refuses to get involved in the war, while the factions have also retreated from escalation, coinciding with the arrival of Donald Trump to the White House.
Everyone in Iraq has begun to avoid talking about the old arrest warrant against Trump, and Iraq has denied providing facilities for Iran to respond to Israel.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani arrived in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, to participate in the Arab and Islamic summit on the “aggression on Gaza and Lebanon,” according to a government statement.
The summit is expected to unify Arab and Islamic positions and pressure the international community to take serious action to stop the ongoing attacks.
Iraqi government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi said that “Baghdad’s participation in the Riyadh summit reflects its desire to strengthen its relations with its Arab surroundings.”
He added in a statement: “Iraq has also become able to occupy its historical position as a locomotive for Arab countries in facing external challenges.”
The Iraqi government sees the “Riyadh summit” as an opportunity for Iraq to prove its ability to be a driver of Arab cooperation, according to al-Awadi.
Baghdad believes that the risks of expanding the scope of the conflict in the region are still great due to the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.
According to statements by Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, “Baghdad takes any threat to the Iraqi situation seriously from any party,” in reference to Iran and Israel.
“Iraq is located in the geography of war, and the continuation of the attack and counterattack on Iran means that Iraqi territory and airspace are likely to be within the war zones,” he added.
Hussein explained that “the Iranians have clearly confirmed that no attack on Israel will be launched from Iraqi territory.”
Last week, the “State Administration Coalition” denied rumors about using Iraqi territory as a launching pad for attacks, according to a statement issued by the ruling coalition.
The Ministerial Council for National Security also described talk of using Iraqi territory as a launching pad for attacks as “false pretexts.”
The Hezbollah Brigades also denied reports circulating about Iran transferring weapons to Iraq to respond to Israel, in a statement by the faction.
An American report revealed intelligence information indicating that "the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is transferring drones and ballistic missiles to Shiite militias in Iraq, and is planning to launch a joint attack against Israel from Iraqi territory."
Analysts expected that Trump would take escalatory positions against Iran and the factions upon his return to the White House.
Baghdad began to open a new page with the American president, and closed the case of the arrest warrant issued against him three years ago.
On Friday evening, Al-Sudani and Trump agreed, in a phone call, to coordinate together to end wars in the region, according to a government statement.
Mediation with Iran
Meanwhile, former diplomat Ghazi Faisal believes that Iraq is an important player in the region, and by virtue of its relations with America and Iran, “it may work to defuse the crisis through diplomatic efforts or conveying messages from Washington to Iran.”
Faisal said: “Getting out of wars is Trump’s strategy, and Iraq, through its relations, plays an important role in calming the situation in the Middle East, and ensuring a change in the direction of Iranian foreign policy from exporting the revolution and interfering in the affairs of the countries of the region to respecting international law.”
It is likely that Trump carried a message to Al-Sudani, to convey to Iran in the last contact between the two parties, according to an Emirati newspaper.
The Emirati newspaper Al-Ain quoted a source close to the Iraqi Prime Minister as saying that the message was that “Trump is determined to settle the nuclear issue with Iran and end the wars, if the latter shows goodwill regarding these files.”
Iraqi government spokesman Bassem Al-Awadi had stated last Saturday that the communication between Al-Sudani and Trump was highly positive.
Within a week, Iraq sent National Security Adviser Qasim Al-Araji and Interior Minister Eid Al-Amir Al-Shammari to Tehran.
Al-Araji and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stressed in a statement on Sunday the importance of cooperation between the countries of the region to avoid the expansion of the conflict.
In contrast, the purpose of Al-Shammari’s visit to Tehran was unclear. Officially, the government said in a statement that it came for “arrangements for the Arbaeen visit.”
Al-Shammari's visit coincided with recent leaks about the possibility of Iran using Iraqi territory to respond to Israel.[/size]
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