Qatar seeks to mediate amid tensions after US strike in Iraq

Qatar is seeking to play a mediating role amid escalating tensions following a US drone strike that killed a top Iranian general in Iraq and brought the region to the brink of an all-out war involving Washington and Tehran, the Qatari foreign minister said Wednesday.

Speaking on an official visit to Baghdad, Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said Qatar was making contacts with regional and international countries to de-escalate tensions.

His visit to Iraq comes days after Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani visited Tehran.

Al-Thani was scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and President Barham Saleh later Wednesday.

Tension soared following a US drone strike early this month that killed a top Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, and senior Iraq militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

Iran retaliated by firing a barrage of missiles that hit two bases in Iraq where American troops are based but caused no casualties.

Tensions soared further after Iran, just hours following the missile attacks, mistakenly shot down an Ukrainian passenger plane that had taken off from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board.