Secret meetings between US government officials and Iranian officials took place last week at a hotel in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in Iraq, i24NEWS reported Tuesday.
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The Iranian delegation was headed by Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It also included two officials from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as well as Iraj Masjedi, Iran's special envoy to Iraq.
During the secret talks, American officials stayed at the same hotel in Erbil as Saudi officials who were later relocated away from the negotiation venue.
Back in May, Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said he would send delegations to both Washington and Tehran in order to calm tensions between the US and Iran.
In recent weeks the US has accused Iran of using its proxies to attack tankers near the Strait of Hormuz. Just recently Iran downed an American drone in international airspace.
As a result, US President Donald Trump prepared a military strike but eventually backed down, saying the Iranian regime may have accidentally hit the aircraft.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
