DUBAI/BAGHDAD, Sept 11 (Askume) – Iranian President Masoud Pedeshkian visited Iraq on Wednesday in his first foreign trip following efforts by Iranian clerics to strengthen ties with Iraq amid rising regional tensions, straining strategic alliance ties.
The relatively liberal Pedeshkian, whoPresident Joe Biden, who was elected in July , met Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani at the start of a three-day visit. Tehran and Baghdad said the trip would include the signing of a number of agreements and discussions on the Gaza war and the situation in the Middle East.
“Discuss the expansion of bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues such as the crimes committed by the Zionist regime (Israel) against the oppressed people of Palestine and efforts to end the war and genocide in Gaza,” Peteshkian’s office said in a statement. Statement. Required.
Iraq is home to several Iran-aligned factions and armed groups, and Tehran’s influence in the key oil-producing region has grown steadily since the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted its arch-enemy Saddam Hussein from power.
Iraq is a rare partnership between the United States and Iran, with 2,500 American troops stationed in the country and Iran-backed armed groups embedded in its security forces. OctoberGaza has been under constant attack since the war between Israel and Hamas broke out in 2007 .
The Iraqi Prime Minister’s media office said the two countries signed 14 MoUs covering trade, sports, agriculture, cultural cooperation, education, media, communications and tourism.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Wednesday that there was cooperation between Tehran and Baghdad in many areas, including “political, regional and security issues”, according to Iranian state media.
According to Iranian state media, Pezeshkian visited the memorial of Iranian Major General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq in 2020.
Relationship with us
In 2020, Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike at Baghdad airport , and Tehran retaliated by attacking US bases in Iraq, with the United States and Iran nearly breaking out into a full-scale conflict in 2020.
The United States and Iraq have reached an agreement on a plan to withdraw US-led coalition forces from Iraq, people familiar with the matter said.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza War, Iran-backed Iraqi armed groupsRepeated attacks on American troops in the Middle East .
State media said Pezeshkian also planned to visit Iraqi Kurdistan, where Iran has carried out attacks in the past . He says the region is used as a staging post for Iranian separatist groups and proxies of their arch-enemy Israel.
Baghdad seeks to allay Iran’s concerns about regional separatist groupsTake steps to get some members to agree to a 2023 security deal with Tehran .
