Soleimani Was in Iraq to Discuss Iran-Saudi Tensions: Mahdi

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi siad Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian Quds Force commander who was killed in a US drone attack in Baghdad on Friday, was in Iraq to negotiate a de-escalation in tensions with Saudi Arabia.

Ha made the statement at the Iraqi parliament on Sunday.

Abdul Mahdi claimed that Soleimani was due to meet with him on the same day that he was killed by a US drone near the Baghdad airport early on Friday. 

The outgoing Iraqi leader says that Soleimani was supposed to bring him Iran's response to a Saudi proposal for de-escalating regional tensions.

The Iraqi leader did not provide any further details.

Abdul Mahdi also claims that President Trump called him and asked him to mediate talks with Iran after the US embassy in Baghdad was nearly overrun.

Mahdi said he worked hard to defuse tensions outside the embassy.

He said he went so far as to threaten to resign if the crowds did not disperse, according to Axios. 

Abdul Mahdi even told Iraq's parliament that Trump thanked him for his efforts. He expressed disappointment that while the American president was grateful, he was also simultaneously planning an attack on Soleimani. 

Soon after Trump made his request to Abdul Mahdi for mediation, US forces launched their drone strike on Friday killing Soleimani, the Iraqi leader was quoted as saying by National Public Radio.

Abdul Mahdi slammed the Americans on Sunday for what he called a ‘political assassination’ in targeting Soleimani.

Source: DailyMail