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Explainer: How Iraq planted the seeds for China's Saudi-Iran deal

Iran and Saudi Arabia finalized their negotiations in Beijing after five sessions of mediation in Baghdad since 2019.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi leaves Downing Street after a meeting with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on October 22, 2020 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Iran and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement last Friday to resume diplomatic relations. The negotiations between the two countries had been initiated by Iraq, but the final agreement was reached and signed by the two countries' national security chiefs in Beijing.

Both countries afterward praised Iraq's prior mediation, and Baghdad hopes to find a further role for itself.

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