News / Interviews

Iraqi president’s visit to Iran ‘of great importance’ : Commentator

Saturday, 17 November 2018 3:20 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 17 November 2018 3:24 PM ]

This handout picture released by the Iranian presidency on November 17, 2018, shows Iran's President Hassan Rouhani and Iraq's President Barham Salih (L) during a press conference in Tehran. (Photo by AFP)

Iraqi President Barham Salih’s visit to Iran is of great importance at the time of US sanctions against the Islamic Republic, says a political commentator, adding that more coordination is needed between the two countries in order to increase their role in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

“Iran and Iraq own huge energy reservoirs and they play major influential role in the OPEC in the pricing of the supplies of the energy market as well as the security of energy supplies. Therefore a well-coordinated stance by these two within OPEC could increase their role in the energy market,” Mostafa Khoshcheshm told Press TV in an interview on Saturday.

“So as Iran has come under sanctions by the United States and as the US is seeking hard to undermine the ties between Iran and Iraq, this trip plays a very unique role and it is of major importance,” he added.

Salih arrived in Tehran Saturday at the head of a delegation, receiving an official welcome from President Hassan Rouhani who said the two neighbors can raise annual bilateral trade to $20 billion from the current level of $12 billion.

The two-day visit comes at a sensitive time when the US is pressuring regional countries to go along with Washington in “squeezing” Iran under new sanctions unveiled early this month.

But Iraqi officials have protested to the dictate and underlined Iran’s importance, including its place as the top trade partner of the Arab country.