Iraq says supports efforts to defuse tension between Iran and West: report

TEHRAN, July 9 (MNA) - Al-Sabah daily has recently quoted Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh as saying that his country supports efforts meant to defuse tension between Tehran and the West that may lead to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran. The National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of the Iranian parliament put forward a proposal on July 1, which calls for the Strait of Hormuz to be blocked to prevent the passage of tankers that carry oil for the countries that have imposed sanctions on Iran. The proposal was prepared in response to the European Union’s oil embargo on Iran that took effect on July 1 and a new U.S. law that penalizes countries that do business with the Central Bank of Iran by denying their banks access to the U.S. market. The law came into force on June 28.