Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian embarked on his inaugural foreign visit to Iraq on Wednesday, underscoring the clerical establishment's commitment to fortify relations with a key ally that is strategically important to both Tehran and Washington amid escalating regional tensions. Pezeshkian, a relatively moderate figure who assumed office in July, convened with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani at the outset of a three-day trip. Both Tehran and Baghdad indicated that the visit would involve the signing of several agreements and discussions on the Gaza conflict and the broader Middle East situation.
"The enhancement of bilateral relations, along with regional and international concerns such as the ongoing atrocities committed by the Zionist regime (Israel) against the Palestinian people and the imperative to halt the war and genocide in Gaza, will be deliberated," Pezeshkian's office articulated in a statement. Iraq harbors multiple Iran-aligned political parties and armed groups, as Tehran has progressively expanded its influence in the major oil-producing nation since the US-led invasion ousted its adversary Saddam Hussein in 2003. As a unique partner to both the United States and Iran, Iraq accommodates 2,500 US troops and maintains Iran-backed armed factions integrated with its security apparatus. The nation has endured escalating reciprocal attacks since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in Gaza in October.
The Iraqi prime minister's media office disclosed that the two nations had inked 14 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) across various sectors including trade, sports, agriculture, cultural collaboration, education, media, communications, and tourism. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi noted on Wednesday that Tehran and Baghdad share numerous areas of cooperation "encompassing political, regional... and security matters," as reported by Iranian state media. Pezeshkian paid a visit to a monument honoring Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a US drone strike in Iraq in 2020, according to Iranian state media.
The United States and Iran nearly plunged into full-scale conflict in 2020 following Soleimani's assassination at Baghdad airport and Tehran's retaliatory strikes on US bases in Iraq. Sources acquainted with the matter report that the United States and Iraq have reached an accord on the withdrawal plans for US-led coalition forces from Iraq. Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq have persistently targeted US troops in the Middle East since the Gaza war commenced. State media revealed that Pezeshkian also intends to visit Iraqi Kurdistan, a region where Iran has previously conducted strikes, alleging it serves as a launching pad for Iranian separatist groups and agents of its arch-rival Israel. Baghdad has endeavored to address Iranian apprehensions over regional separatist groups, relocating some members under a 2023 security agreement with Tehran.
