Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (R) meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi in Mecca, June 19, 2017.

:: Serious negotiations are under way between Iraq and Saudi Arabia to form a new alliance that would give Riyadh a leading role in rebuilding Iraq’s war-torn cities.

The Guardian newspaper stated in a report that Saudi Arabia is in constant talks with the Iraqi parties in an effort to return Iraq to the Arab fold away from the influence of Iran.

The meetings between senior officials of the two sides over the past six months focused on assisting Iraq and limiting the interference of Iran, whose influence in Iraqi affairs has increased remarkably since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

The Guardian said that Iraq and Saudi Arabia moved past the differences of the past and exchanged an official visit, which was echoed in the visit of Prime Minister Haider Abadi and the signing of agreements of partnership, investments and reconstructions with Saudi Arabia.

The official visits of the cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, to Riyadh, and then to the UAE, added a new dimension to the relations between Iraq and the Gulf states.