Iraq says it has requested Saudi Arabia to replace its ambassador in Baghdad.
Iraqi Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Jamal said on August 28 that Baghdad's Shi'ite-led government sent a formal request to Riyadh to replace the Sunni-ruled kingdom's ambassador, Thamer al-Sabhan.
The move comes after Sabhan was quoted as saying that Iraqi intelligence provided him with information about a plot to assassinate him.
He allegedly said this was happening as Saudi Arabia’s regional rival, Iran, tries to block reform efforts in Iraq and other Arab countries.
Jamal said Sabhan's comments were untrue and harm relations between the two countries.
Sabhan has also been calling on Iraq's government to exclude Shi'ite paramilitary groups from its military campaign against the Islamic State militant group.
Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Baghdad in December after keeping it shut since the 1990 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.
Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
In Russia's War Economy, The Warning Lights Are Blinking
2Attack From Afghanistan Kills Chinese National In Tajikistan, Sources Say
3U.S. Reportedly Allows Ukraine To Strike Russia With Long-Range Weapons
4RFE/RL Reveals Chilling New Details Of Bucha Massacre As Ukraine Marks 1,000 Days Of War
5Putin Says Russia Fired New Intermediate Missile At Ukraine After ICBM Accusations
6No Smooth Sailing For Climate Activist Greta Thunberg In The Caucasus
7Could U.S. Long-Range Missiles Tip The Balance In The Ukraine War?
8Wider Europe Briefing: Georgia's Vanishing EU Dreams
9Ukraine Live Briefing: Verkhovna Rada Closes Over Strike Fears
10At Least 21 Dead In Russian Missile Strikes In Ukraine's Odesa, Sumy
RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.
If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.
To find out more, click here.
