TEHRAN (Tasnim) - The foreign minister of Iran expressed the country's readiness to assist Iraq in extinguishing the wildfires that have raged in the neighboring state's reed beds.

- Politics news -

In a telephone conversation with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein on Thursday night, Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian voiced Iran's readiness to assist with the efforts to immediately bring the wildfires in Iraq's reed beds under control.

He said the plumes of smoke from the raging fire in the southern reed beds of Iraq, caused by the intense heat and drought in the region, have seriously affected the residential areas of Dashte Azadeghan in Iran's southwestern province of Khuzestan.

The foreign minister then praised Iraq for its efforts to facilitate the participation of Iranian pilgrims in this year's Hajj season in Saudi Arabia, asking Baghdad to relay a message for Saudis calling for the release of an Iranian national arrested in the kingdom during the pilgrimage.

Amirabdollahian finally called for the reopening of Kele border crossing in northwestern Iran to allow the local residents to travel between the two neighbors.

For his part, Foreign Minister Hussein said the Iraqi government is ready for cooperation with Iran in extinguishing the reed bed fires in his country.

He also stressed the need to pursue plans for the reopening of Kele border crossing.

The two senior diplomats also talked about the latest developments in the Vienna negotiations on lifting the sanctions against Iran and reviving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).