Iraqi Adviser Proposes Iran and Saudi Arabia Form Joint Security Council

Iraq has proposed the formation of a joint security council between Iran and Saudi Arabia. According to the Iraqi prime minister’s national security adviser, Qasim al-Araji, a security council is needed given the ‘crisis of trust’ between the two regional powers.

“The problem between these two countries is a crisis of trust,” al-Araji told the state television station Iraqiya TV on Sunday.

Al-Araji said Iraq has conveyed the proposal to Iran and Saudi Arabia. He did not provide further details regarding the mechanism of the proposal. Neither Iran nor Saudi Arabia has yet issued an immediate response.

However, relations between the two have been marked by ups and downs. Before the outbreak of the war against the US and Israel, both Iran and Saudi Arabia repeatedly exchanged visits after a period of awkward relations.

After the war broke out, Iran and Saudi Arabia became tense. Tehran attacked US base targets in Saudi Arabia. Now that the war has subsided, Iran-Saudi relations remain uncertain.

Meanwhile, according to al-Araji, the placement of all weapons under state control is a purely strategic decision by Iraq. Likewise, decisions regarding war and peace rest entirely in the hands of the Iraqi state.