MP Manar Abd al-Muttalib warned that Iraq can be harmed politically and economically in case a war breaks out between the United States and Iran.
In case a war broke out, it would be a "third world war" between the United States of America and its allies, and Iran and the states allying with it, Abd al-Muttalib said, adding that war will not be good to any country in the region.
Iraq's initiative to pacify the region and bring together the views of the United States and Iran is a good step to avoid bloodshed and to reduce the amount of damage that will be be caused as a result of the war, Abd al-Muttalib said, affirming that Iraq plays a significant role in the region.
Tensions have escalated recently between the US and Iran with increasing concerns about a potential US-Iran war. Earlier this week the US pulled some diplomatic staff from its embassy in Baghdad following weekend attacks on four oil tankers in the Gulf, Reuters reported.
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he hoped the United States was not heading to war with Iran as he met with Switzerland President Ueli Maurer, whose nation has served as a diplomatic conduit between the two countries, according to Reuters.
Asked by reporters Washington was going to war with Tehran, Trump responded, “Hope not” as he greeted Maurer at the White House.
Tankers attack
US officials believe Iran encouraged Houthi militants or Iraq-based Shiite militias to carry out Sunday’s attacks on four tankers near the Strait of
Hormuz, two US government sources
said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.
The UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did not say who was behind the operation, which took place amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.
'Two attacks'
Senator Tom Cotton predicted in an interview with PBS that the US would easily win a war against Iran in “two strikes.”
"I’m simply delivering the message that if Iran were to attack the United States, it would be a grave miscalculation on their part, and there would be a furious response," he stated.
"Ultimately it's up to the Iranian people and their leaders to decide how they're going to govern their country, but with men like those in charge of Iran, I think we're going to see what we've seen for the last 40 years which is a revolutionary, theological movement that's hijacked the powers of a nation state."