Iran ready to help Iraq settle political differences: spokesman

Tehran is ready to facilitate a dialog among Iraq's different political groups in an attempt for a comprehensive agreement, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hossein Jaber Ansari said here on Monday.

In his weekly press briefing, the spokesman said Iran urges tranquility in Iraq, saying it would help all the political factions solve their differences through dialog.

To tackle the problems in Iraq, the political groups should concentrate on the fight against terrorism and corruption in the country, Jaber Ansari added.

He expressed the hope that the national resolve among the Iraqi politicians would help tackle the problems and address the demands of the people.

Thousands of followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday stormed the heavily fortified Green Zone in central Baghdad and took control of the parliament building and surrounding areas, while dozens of lawmakers, officials and employees tried to escape the government district.

Storming the Green Zone came minutes after Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr delivered a televised speech from the holy Shiite city of Najaf, in which he rejected the latest approval of five cabinet members presented by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

A series of failed reform measures have paralyzed Iraq's parliament and the government as the country struggles to fight the Islamic State (IS) militant group, which seizes swathes of territories in northern and western Iraq. The country is also in dire need to respond to an economic crisis sparked in part by a plunge in global oil prices. Endit