Iran's top diplomat on diplomacy tour as tensions escalate with Israel

​​​​​​​By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN (AA) - Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will travel Sunday to Baghdad as part of an extensive regional diplomacy tour amid escalating tensions.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Araghchi will lead a delegation to Iraq for "ongoing diplomatic consultations with regional countries."

Araghchi is scheduled to meet his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, and other senior Iraqi government officials "to discuss bilateral relations and recent regional developments."

He is also expected to engage with leaders of Iran-aligned political and armed groups in Iraq to discuss regional issues, particularly the war in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon.

Tensions have risen dramatically following Iranian missile strikes against Israel earlier this month, which reportedly targeted military sites in and around Tel Aviv.

Israel has vowed a "severe" military retaliation, while Iran has cautioned against further escalation and warned of a "more crushing response" in the event of an attack.

Araghchi's visit to Iraq follows his whirlwind tours of Lebanon, Syria and Saudi Arabia, where he held extensive deliberations with high-ranking officials.

The primary agenda of the trips, according to sources, is to push for de-escalation and convey a message to the US against getting involved.

Some unconfirmed reports suggest that Araghchi also warned certain Arab countries against permitting Israel to use their territory for operations against Iran.

The visit to Iraq is more significant considering Iran's previous missile attacks on what it claimed were "Israeli facilities" in the Erbil region of northern Iraq.

Last year, Iran announced an agreement with Iraq to “disarm and relocate” “armed terrorist groups” in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

Notably, Iraq hosts many armed groups allied with Iran, which have come together under the umbrella of the 'Islamic Resistance in Iraq' since last October, frequently targeting Israeli assets and US military bases in Iraq "in solidarity with Gaza."

Meanwhile, in a letter to his counterparts Friday, Araghchi called for "collective diplomatic efforts" to halt the Israeli war against Gaza and Lebanon and push for a cease-fire.

"The unlimited impunity enjoyed by the Israeli regime has led it to escalate its attacks on Lebanon, specifically conducting massive airstrikes on residential areas with US-made bunker busters," said the letter.

On Sunday, Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who is a licensed pilot, flew his aircraft to Lebanon. His plane landed in Beirut amid plumes of smoke.

Later in the day, he toured areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut that have come under attacks in recent weeks, including one that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and his associates.