Ongoing Middle East tensions twirl political winds in many countries

London, January 6: Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed with Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on the need to de-escalate tensions in the region when they spoke by phone today, according to a UK statement. Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Qassem Soleimani was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Iraq on Friday.

 

“The leaders discussed the need to deescalate tensions in the region following the death of Qassem Soleimani and agreed to work together to find a diplomatic way forward,” a statement from Johnson’s office said.

“The Prime Minister underlined the UK’s unwavering commitment to Iraq’s stability and sovereignty and emphasized the importance of the continued fight against the shared threat from Daesh.”

On the other side, United States President Donald Trump has threatened severe sanctions against Iraq after its Parliament called on US troops to leave the country. On Sunday, the Iraqi Parliament voted to expel the US troops from its territory.

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Ambassadors will meet in Brussels amid ongoing Middle East tensions. A NATO official said, the North Atlantic Council will address the situation in the region.

Meanwhile, Germany, France and the UK called for a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East as Iranian officials threatened US troops from the country and the Iraqi Parliament voted to remove US troops from Iraq.