Iraqi PM, key Iraqi Shia cleric hold talks in Jordan

Iraq's prime minister and an influential Shia cleric have visited Jordan, just hours after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged Iraq and Saudi Arabia to unite to counter growing Iranian assertiveness.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi held talks late on Sunday with Jordan's King Abdullah.

Abadi met with Tillerson earlier on Sunday in Saudi Arabia.

Meanwhile, the office of influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced that he met with Jordan's Prince Ghazi in the kingdom late on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia, leader of the region's camp of Sunni Muslim states that also includes Jordan, is concerned about the influence of its rival Iran in Iraq.

Iran has backed Shia militias fighting against the Islamic State group in Iraq.

Sadr has in the past called for Shia militias in Iraq to disband.