Iraq calls for emergency Arab foreign ministers meeting as Israel-Iran conflict escalates

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein held a phone call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Wednesday to discuss escalating regional conflict between Israel and Iran.

According to a statement from Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hussein emphasized the conflict’s implications for regional security and stability and called for “an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers” to be held on the sidelines of the upcoming Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Istanbul next week. The meeting aims to “coordinate Arab positions.”

During a phone call with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday, Al-Sudani said Iraq views Iran’s security and stability as “integral to the security and stability of the entire region.” He affirmed Iraq’s readiness to provide “all necessary forms of assistance,” describing it as part of the principles of solidarity that “unite Islamic nations.”

Statement from Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, received a phone call on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Badr Abdelatty.

During the call, they discussed the latest developments in the regional arena, particularly the changes in the course of the ongoing war against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its implications for the security and stability of the region.

In this context, and in his capacity as the current president of the Arab Summit, Fuad Hussein called for an emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers on the sidelines of the upcoming Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting scheduled to be held in Istanbul early next week, with the aim of coordinating Arab positions on the rapidly evolving situation and addressing current challenges with a collective and responsible spirit.