Russian President, Iraqi PM discuss regional tensions over phone

Baghdad:  Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation on Monday to discuss the recent regional and international developments.

During the call, al-Sudani reaffirmed Iraq’s rejection of both the Israeli attacks on Iran and the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, according to a statement by al-Sudani’s media office.

He also condemned the violation of Iraqi airspace by US and Israeli aircraft, stressing Iraq’s commitment to upholding its sovereignty and calling on the UN Security Council to fulfill its core responsibility in halting the war and intensifying diplomatic efforts.

For his part, Putin stressed the importance of de-escalation and told al-Sudani that he was making “special efforts in this regard,” expressing his rejection of any violations of Iraq’s airspace and sovereignty, it said.

The statement added that both leaders also addressed the ongoing war in Gaza, highlighting the urgent need for effective international intervention to stop the bloodshed of Palestinians and end the suffering of civilians deprived of basic necessities.

Meanwhile, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced that its Air Force fighter jets, guided by precise intelligence from the IDF Intelligence Directorate, struck key command centres and assets belonging to Iran’s internal security forces and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Tehran.

“More than 50 fighter jets attacked military targets in Tehran in the latest wave of attacks, and as part of the IDF’s extensive operations to damage the Iranian regime’s military capabilities, Air Force fighter jets, under the direction of the Intelligence Directorate, attacked Iranian regime military headquarters, missile and radar production sites, and missile storage infrastructure in the Tehran area of Iran,” the IDF stated.

The IDF said that it has attacked a number of military headquarters of the Iranian regime, including the “Tharallah” headquarters, the general headquarters under the Revolutionary Guards, which is designed to protect Tehran from security threats, including internal threats.

In addition, the “Sayed Al-Shahada” Brigade, which is also subordinate to the Revolutionary Guards and is responsible for defending the homeland, was also attacked.

–IANS