Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in neighboring Iraq on Wednesday to mark his first international go to since assuming workplace.
The selection of vacation spot alerts the Iranian authorities’s intention to strengthen ties with a strategic ally of each Tehran and Washington as regional tensions rise.
Pezeshkian, a relative average who was elected in July, met Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. al-Sudani in the beginning of his three-day go to that Baghdad stated would come with the signing of numerous agreements and dialogue of the Gaza warfare and the scenario within the Middle East.
Iraq hosts a number of Iran-aligned events and armed teams, as Tehran has steadily elevated its sway within the main oil producer since a U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.
A uncommon associate of each the United States and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 U.S. troops and has Iran-backed armed factions linked to its safety forces. It has suffered escalating tit-for-tat assaults since Israel launched its genocidal warfare on Gaza final October.
“We are planning to sign several agreements,” Iran’s state media quoted Pezeshkian as saying earlier than his departure for Iraq. On his arrival, he was greeted by Sudani on the airport, the place they reviewed a guard of honor.
The Iraqi prime minister’s media workplace stated in a press release that the 2 international locations would signal memoranda of understanding (MoUs) in numerous fields together with commerce, agriculture and communications.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated Wednesday that round 15 MoUs could be signed, Iranian state media reported.
“We have several cooperation areas, including political, regional … and security issues,” Araqchi stated.
Pezeshkian visited a monument for Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani who was killed, in a U.S. drone assault in 2020 in Iraq, Iranian state media reported.
Ties with US
The United States and Iran got here near a full-blown battle in 2020 after the killing of prime Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. drone assault at Baghdad airport and Tehran’s retaliation by attacking U.S. bases in Iraq.
The U.S. and Iraq have reached an understanding on plans for the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces from Iraq, say sources accustomed to the matter.
Iran-aligned armed teams in Iraq have attacked U.S. troops within the Middle East for the reason that Gaza warfare started.
State media have stated Pezeshkian additionally plans to go to northern Iraq, which is below the management of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and a area the place Iran has carried out strikes previously.
Baghdad has tried to sort out Iranian considerations over regional separatist teams, transferring to relocate some members in a 2023 safety pact with Tehran.
Source: www.dailysabah.com