Iraq says no plans by premier to visit Iran

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD

The Iraqi government on Tuesday denied reports about a planned visit by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to neighboring Iran.

“We have not announced any plans or intention by PM al-Abadi to visit Iran,” government spokesman Saad al-Hadithi said in a statement.

“All reports [about the visit] are media leaks which we are not responsible for,” he said.

The Iraqi premier flew to Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday for talks with Turkish officials on bilateral cooperation and a host of other issues.

Media reports said al-Abadi would continue on to Tehran following his visit to Turkey.

On Monday, the Iraqi premier said his government would not make dollar-dominated transactions with Iran -- in line with the U.S. sanctions -- while refraining from implementing the full raft of American penalties recently imposed on Tehran.

Last week, the U.S. re-imposed round of economic sanctions on Iran, which mainly target the country’s banking sector.

The sanctions are intended to hinder Tehran's acquisition of U.S. currency; its precious metals trade; bank transactions denominated in the Iranian rial; activities related to Iran's sovereign debt; and the country’s automotive sector.