Iranian president meets Iraqi premier on regional crises

Tehran (IraqiNews.com) – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani met on Monday with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi in Tehran.

The meeting tackled means of promoting relations between the two countries, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East region, Iraqi news website Alghad Press quoted Abdul Mahdi’s media office as saying in a press statement.

The two sides, according to the statement, also discussed ways to “settle the current crisis,” namely Tehran’s seizure of the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero in the key shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz last Friday.

Earlier in the day, Abdul Mahdi had a phone call with British Defense Secretary Penny Mordaunt over tensions in the Middle East region.

During the phone call, the two sides “confirmed the necessity of achieving security and stability in the Gulf region and the Middle East, as well as ensuring freedom of (maritime) navigation for all countries (in the Gulf waters) and respecting international law,” Xinhua quoted a statement by Abdul Mahdi’s media office as saying.

The two sides also discussed the regional security situation, means of easing tensions and avoiding escalation, the statement said.

The phone call came after Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) seized on Friday the British oil tanker “Stena Impero” in the Strait of Hormuz because of what Iran said “the oil tanker’s failure to respect the international maritime rules while passing through the strait.”

Following the Friday incident in the Strait of Hormuz, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned that serious consequences would ensue if Iran’s seizure of the British oil tanker is not resolved quickly.