Media reports said Haider al-Abadi would visit Iran after his current visit to Turkey
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 a first 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.
