Iraqi parliament speaker urges US to help end Gaza conflict during meeting with envoy

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani met Saturday with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Steven Fagin in Baghdad, calling on the United States to use its influence to help end the war in Gaza and prevent further regional escalation.

In a statement released after the meeting, al-Mashhadani emphasized the need to “prevent further tensions in the region and their causes,” and said U.S. action was essential to halting the violence. “We must stop the genocide in Gaza, lift the siege, and end the conflict there through pressure from the United States,” he said.

The meeting came one day after Iraq’s top Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, issued a rare political statement condemning the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Al-Sistani warned that famine and destruction were leaving children, the elderly, and the sick in peril, and urged Arab and Islamic countries to act swiftly to address what he described as a major humanitarian catastrophe.

Statement from Al-Mashhadani’s office:

The Speaker of the Parliament Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, received today, Saturday, Mr. Steven Fagin, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The meeting reaffirmed the depth of bilateral relations and the strategic partnership between the two countries.

During the meeting, Speaker Al-Mashhadani emphasized the need to prevent further tensions in the region and their causes, to stop the genocide in Gaza, lift the siege, and end the conflict there through pressure from the United States.

For his part, the Chargé d’Affaires appreciated Iraq’s role in the region, affirming U.S. support for Iraq’s democratic system and the importance of building strong diplomatic and economic ties. Regarding the situation in Gaza, Mr. Steven stated, “We are serious about working to end the conflict there.”

Both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral relations, activate friendship and strategic partnership committees in economic and political fields, and maintain communication to exchange views on various issues.