Iran’s President visits Iraq in first official trip abroad

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian will make his first official trip abroad to Iraq on Wednesday at a time of intense regional tension due to the Gaza war.
The highly anticipated three-day visit is expected to strengthen ties between the two historically intertwined nations while signalling Iran’s determination to solidify its influence in Baghdad.
Mr Pezeshkian will meet Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani and acting Parliament Speaker Mushin Al Mandalawi, an official with the Iraqi Foreign Ministry told The National. Several officials will accompany Mr Pezeshkian, including the foreign, defence and trade ministers, he said.
While in Baghdad, Mr Pezeshkian will also meet senior political leaders, Iranian and Iraqi businessmen, as well as representatives of the Iranian community in Iraq, the official added. Several agreements covering different fields will be signed.
Mr Pezeshkian will also travel to the oil-rich southern province of Basra that borders Iran and Kuwait, and to Erbil, the capital of the Kurdish region in northern Iraq. His agenda includes visits to Shiite shrines in the cities of Najaf and Karbala to the south of Baghdad.
Iran and Iraq have a long and complex history. The 1980-88 war left an indelible mark on both countries, killing more than a million people and solidifying the rule in Iran of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the first supreme leader of the Islamic Republic after the 1979 revolution.
Iranian influence in Baghdad increased significantly during the conflict that followed the 2003 US-led invasion, with Iran backing Shiite armed groups that formed part of the insurgency against the American presence, and building relationships with successive Iraqi governments.
Iran now has far-reaching political influence in Iraq, with significant power over some armed groups in the state-recognised Popular Mobilisation Forces.
Tehran also sees Iraq as a major market for Iranian goods, from construction materials to food and drink, given sanctions that limit its access to other markets, including Europe. Iraq relies on gas piped from Iran to fuel many of its power stations.
“If another country had been chosen instead of Iraq, it would have been a source of surprise,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the local Alforat television channel on Tuesday.
“Our relations with Iraq, both government and people, are exceptional as they go beyond mere relations between two neighbouring countries. For us, Iraq is more than just a neighbouring country, it is a friend and a brother nation with whom we share many religious, cultural, and historical ties.”