BAGHDAD, Iraq, July 23 (NNN-NINA) – Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi, on Monday, held a phone call with British Defence Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, over regional tensions in the Middle East.
During the phone call, the two sides “confirmed the necessity of achieving security and stability in the Gulf region and the Middle East, as well as, freedom of (maritime) navigation for all countries (in the Gulf waters) and respecting international law,” a statement by Abdul Mahdi’s media office said.
The two sides also discussed regional security, means of easing tensions and avoiding escalation.
The phone call came, after Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) seized the British oil tanker “Stena Impero” in the Strait of Hormuz, because of what Iran said, “the oil tanker’s failure to respect international maritime rules while passing through the strait.”
Following the incident, British Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, warned that serious consequences would ensue, if Iran’s seizure of the British oil tanker is not resolved quickly.– NNN-NINA
