BAGHDAD: Iraq hosted senior parliamentary officials from arch-rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran on Saturday as Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi sought to bolster his country’s nascent role as a mediator in the region. Abdul Mahdi recently returned from visits to Iran and Saudi Arabia, both oil-super-powers that have long been vying for dominance in the Middle East. The Iraqi premier has said Iraq will maintain strong ties with Iran, but also with Washington and regional neighbours, many of which, like Saudi Arabia, consider Tehran a foe. Iraq and Saudi Arabia have been at loggerheads since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, but they have recently undertaken a diplomatic push to improve ties. Many of Iraq’s leaders, from its Shi’ite majority, have close ties with Iran, the main Shi’ite power in the Middle East.

Source: Pakistan Today April 20, 2019 15:00 UTC