Reuters - Turkey’s foreign minister will visit Iraq on Thursday to try to ease tensions after Iran launched missiles at U.S.-led forces in response to the killing of a top Iranian commander, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will travel to Iraq as part of Ankara’s “intensified diplomatic efforts to alleviate the escalated tension in the aftermath of recent developments in the region”, the ministry said in a statement.

Cavusoglu also spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif by phone, it said in a separate statement.

U.S. forces killed Tehran’s most prominent military commander Qassem Soleimani last week, prompting Iran to promise revenge. Iranian state television said Iran had fired 15 missiles at U.S. targets in Iraq early on Wednesday.

Cavusoglu said on Monday that Turkey was in contact with all parties in the region and Washington to de-escalate tensions, adding that Ankara would work to help solve the issue.


Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu; Editing by Dominic Evans