TEHRAN, Jul. 14 (MNA) – In a joint press conference between Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim and EU's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Baghdad, Iraq, on July 13, both sides showed their support for holding 'peace conference' to de-escalate Iran-US tension.

The EU official said that the international body supports Iraq's proposal to hold peace conference to ease tensions between the US and Iran.

"We support completely the idea of a regional conference proposed by Iraq and the EU is fully behind that and fully ready to support this idea," Mogherini told reporters.

The Iraqi FM, for his turn, underlined that having negotiations is the best option to finish tensions in the region, noting that the Middle-East is not open to a new war.

Mogherini, in her trip to Iraq, also held separate talks with Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi who expressed Baghdad’s willingness to resolve crises and establish peace in the region via dialogue.

Earlier on May 20, the Leader of the National Wisdom Movement of Iraq, Ammar al-Hakim said heightened tension between Iran and US can have negative consequences for the region, suggesting that Baghdad can play a mediatory role on this issue.

The senior Iraqi Shia cleric described the escalation of tension between Tehran and Washington as worrying, saying that such tensions endanger the security and stability of all countries in the region.

Referring to Iraq’s close ties with both Iran and the US, Al-Hakim said his country can play a positive role to get the two sides' stances closer to each other and end the current conflict.

On May 21, the Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi says that Baghdad will send delegations to the US and Iran to help end tensions between the two countries.

Abdul-Mahdi said Iraq is “playing a role to calm the situation but it is not a mediation.” He said he will visit Kuwait on Wednesday to discuss regional issues.

However, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi has rejected as false the US claim that it has sent a message to Russia for negotiations at the level of foreign ministers.

Answering a reporter’s question on Sunday, Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi rejected as false the US claim that it has sent a message to Russia for negotiations at the level of foreign ministers.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has no negotiations with US officials at any level,” he stressed.

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