TEHRAN: Iraq’s foreign minister on Thursday called for direct negotiations between Iran and the United States, Iranian media reported.

A rare appeal just days before world powers are set to resume talks over the tattered nuclear accord in Vienna.

Fuad Hussein spoke at a news conference after meeting his Iranian counterpart in Tehran, stressing that heightened tension between Iran and the US — Baghdad’s two powerful allies — directly affects his country’s stability.

While Iraq remains a pillar of Washington’s security policy in the region, Iranian-backed militias wield extensive power in the country.

“Any opening in Tehran-Washington relations will positively impact Iraq’s internal situation from political, economic and security perspectives,” Hussein said.

“We think it’s time for direct talks between Tehran and Washington so that the two countries reach a common understanding not only on the nuclear issue but also on sanctions imposed on Iran,” he said.

Tehran’s 2015 atomic deal with world powers granted Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

Three years ago, America under then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord. In response, Iran has stepped up its nuclear program and is now spinning a stock of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity — a short technical step from weapons-grade levels.

Tehran has struck a hard line in negotiations since conservative President Ebrahim Raisi came into office. Consternation is building among European nations at the negotiating table in the Austrian capital. The parties to the landmark deal will resume their efforts on Monday, the European Union said.

Speaking alongside Hussein, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian repeated calls for the US to lift sanctions before Iran walks back its nuclear advances.

“We say it out loud that if you want your concerns over Iran’s peaceful nuclear issue to be removed, then all of the nuclear deal-related sanctions must be removed,” he said, addressing the West.

AP