Former Commander of Iran’s powerful Quds Force General Qassem Suleimani was carrying a message about Tehran’s desire to resolve tensions with Saudi Arabia when he was martyred by a US strike on Baghdad international airport on January 3rd, Tehran’s ambassador to Iraq said.
Ambassador Iraj Masjedi told the Iraqi state news agency in an interview published on Tuesday that Suleimani was carrying a message setting out Iran’s position on possible rapprochement with Saudi Arabia.
“Tehran welcomes Iraq’s role in trying to solve differences between Iran and Saudi,” Mr Masjedi was quoted as saying, referring to recent Iraq efforts to mediate between the regional rivals, the news agency reported.
He expressed Iran’s “wish to resolve differences and challenges with Saudi and the UAE as quickly as possible”.
Iraq’s state news agency published excerpts from the interview in Arabic.
Suleimani’s message that he was meant to deliver when he arrived in Baghdad on January 3, the day he was killed, set out Tehran’s position on “fighting terrorism and achieving peace and security in the region,” Masjedi said.
Source: Reuters
