Mousa Alizadeh, who is in charge of Iraq affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, referred to recent events in Iran-Iraq relations and said that they will have no effect on bilateral relations.
He was addressing a meeting between economic actors of Iran and Iraq in the headquarters of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA) in Tehran on Tuesday.
The official said that the recent events in relations between Tehran and Baghdad are like what Arab people call “the cloud of summer” and will not leave an impact on cordial ties between the two neighbors.
Iran carried out a controlled missile strike in the Iraqi Kurdistan region last week targeting an alleged Mossad spy base operating against Iran.
Following the attack, Erbil Chamber of Commerce called on the Iraqi people to boycott the purchase of Iranian goods.
Alizadeh noted that such events are not inherent to relations between Iran and Iraq and have been rather caused by the intervention of the Zionists and will not be able to undermine bilateral ties between the two nations.
He also added that the central banks of Iran and Iraq are working on operating trade in local currencies.
The official, however, noted that trade in local currencies will cover a mere $500 million of bilateral trade and considering the huge volume of trade between the two countries, other mechanisms are also on the agenda.
He expressed hope that a visit to Iraq by President Ebrahim Raisi which he said will take place few after the beginning of the next Iranian calendar year (to begin on March 21) will lead to a breakthrough in economic relations.