BAGHDAD, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arrived on Saturday in Baghdad on an official visit to discuss bilateral ties and regional situation amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, the Iraqi official television reported.

Zarif is scheduled to hold meetings with top Iraqi leaders, including Iraqi President Barham Salih, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, and Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, the state-run Iraqiya channel said.

During his visit, the Iranian foreign minister will discuss with Iraqi leaders means to enhance bilateral relations and the latest development in the Middle East region, the channel added.

Zarif's visit came amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran after U.S. President Donald Trump decided not to re-issue the sanctions waivers for major importers to continue buying Iran's oil when they expired in early May.

On May 15, the U.S. State Department ordered the non-emergency U.S. employees working in both the embassy in Baghdad and the consulate in Erbil to leave Iraq, a U.S. embassy statement said.

Earlier, the U.S. military said that the U.S. forces were on high alert in Iraq and Syria over fears of "imminent threats" from Iran-backed forces in the region.

On May 21, Mahdi said that Iraq will send delegations to the United States and Iran to ease the tension in the Middle East.

"Iraq has high-level contacts (with parties of dispute), and we are going to push for calm between Washington and Tehran, but it is not a mediation," Mahdi said in a press conference in Baghdad.

The United States has also increased its military buildup in the region recently by deploying an aircraft carrier, bombers and anti-missile systems, citing a threat of Iranian attack. Enditem

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