Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, in a telephone conversation with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein, has rejected the pretexts of the United States’ sanctions against Iran's oil industry as baseless.
“The claims and accusations made by American officials, that are aimed at exerting pressure on Iran, have no basis or credibility,” Araqchi told Hussein during the discussion on Monday night, according to a press release by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
The telephone call followed the Iraqi foreign minister’s remarks that his country is not part of the Axis of Resistance and Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani’s claim that Iranian oil tankers were using forged documents.
The top Iranian diplomat called on neighboring and friendly countries to remain “vigilant against the U.S.'s sedition and divisive tactics, which has nothing but to destroy friendly relations among regional countries in line with the sinister plots of the Zionist regime.”
The Iranian and Iraqi foreign ministers also exchanged views on a number of bilateral issues and the latest developments in the West Asia region, including the resumption of the Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, as well as the U.S.’s military aggression against Yemen.
While denouncing the killing of innocent women and children, Araqchi said that the Israeli regime’s continued genocide in Gaza and repeated acts of aggression against Lebanon “are in flagrant violation of ceasefire agreements” and are carried with “a clear green light from the U.S.”
He called for immediate international action, especially from regional and Islamic countries, to stop Israeli and U.S. atrocities and prevent further insecurity in the region.
Referring to the U.S.’s misuse of bases in the region, Araqchi urged neighboring states to take necessary measures to protect their national sovereignty and prevent the use of their territory and facilities by foreign powers to bring insecurity to other countries.
Hussein, for his part, expressed deep concern over some of the regional developments and the serious dangers resulting from the continued aggression against Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.
The Iraqi foreign minister emphasized the need for cooperation among regional countries to help alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and prevent attempts to jeopardize regional peace and stability.
