Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that ISIS is still moving aggressively in many areas of Iraq, and that the internal threat still exists.
He added in statements to Al-Jazeera that Iraq cannot face tensions alone, and it still needs external support, noting that the continuing regional tension affects the internal security situation.
The minister pointed out that the Gulf-Iranian conflict has a negative impact on Iraq, stressing that it is in his country's interest to have good relations between the Gulf states and Tehran, as he put it.
He stressed that rapprochement with the Gulf is part of Iraq's policy, and rapprochement with Saudi Arabia positively affects the country.
Twenty-eight people were killed and more than 70 were wounded in a double suicide bombing in a crowded popular market in Tayaran Square in central Baghdad today, Thursday, in the first such attack in years.
No one has claimed responsibility.
Suicide bombings have been rare in Baghdad since the defeat of the Islamic State group in 2017. The most recent occurred in January 2018.