Home Iran US Ally Iraq, Welcomes Iranโ€™s President Pezeshkian, Key Deals To Be Signed

US Ally Iraq, Welcomes Iranโ€™s President Pezeshkian, Key Deals To Be Signed

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, making an official
visit to Iraq, a strategic ally of both Tehran and Washington, Iranโ€™s state media said.

Iraq hosts several Iran-aligned parties and armed groups, as Tehran has steadily increased its sway in the major oil producer since a U.S.-led invasion toppled its enemy Saddam Hussein in 2003.

A rare partner of both the United States and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 U.S. troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces. It has suffered escalating tit-for-tat
attacks since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in Gaza in October.

โ€œWe are planning to sign several agreements,โ€ Iranโ€™s state media quoted Pezeshkian, a relative moderate, as saying ahead of the visit, his first official foreign trip. โ€œWe will meet senior Iraqi officials in Baghdad.โ€

The United States and Iraq have reached an understanding on plans for the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces from Iraq, say sources familiar with the matter.

Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq have repeatedly attacked US troops in the Middle East since the Gaza war began.


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State media have said Pezeshkian also plans to visit Iraqi Kurdistan, a region where Iran has carried out strikes in the past, saying it is used as a staging ground for Iranian
separatist groups as well as agents of its arch-foe Israel.

Baghdad has tried to tackle Iranian concerns over regional separatist groups, moving to relocate some members in a 2023 security pact with Tehran.

โ€œWe have several co-operation areas, including political, regional โ€ฆ and security issues,โ€ Iranโ€™s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said ahead of the presidentโ€™s trip, according to state
media.

The visit is in keeping with Pezeshkianโ€™s promise to prioritise ties with neighbours as he seeks to ease his countryโ€™s isolation and mitigate the impact of sanctions on the economy. Western powers recently announced fresh sanctions on Iran for supplying short-range missiles to Russia.

With Reuters inputs