Iranian President Pezeshkian makes first State visit to Iraq
- In Reports
- 11:28 PM, Sep 11, 2024
- Myind Staff
Iran’s new President, Masoud Pezeshkian, commenced a three-day visit to Iraq on Wednesday, marking his inaugural international trip since assuming office. The visit underscores a strategic effort to strengthen the already strong bilateral relationship between the two nations. This diplomatic mission occurs against a backdrop of escalating regional turmoil fuelled by the ongoing Gaza conflict. The war has heightened involvement from Iran-backed armed groups and further complicated Iraq’s diplomatic relations with the United States.
“Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani welcomes the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian,” the Iraqi premier’s office said in a brief statement alongside a picture of the two men shaking hands on the tarmac at Baghdad airport.
Pezeshkian has committed to prioritising relationships with neighbouring countries as a key strategy to alleviate Iran’s international isolation and counter the effects of US-led economic sanctions. His visit to Iraq follows the announcement on Tuesday by Western powers of new sanctions targeting Iran. These sanctions were imposed in response to Iran’s provision of short-range missiles to Russia for use in the Ukraine conflict.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani has issued a warning to Britain, France, and Germany, stating that they “will face the appropriate and proportionate action” in response to what he described as a “hostile” move. This warning came just hours before Pezeshkian’s arrival in Iraq, where an explosion was reported at a base used by a US-led anti-jihadist coalition, according to Iraqi security officials.
A spokesperson for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq stated that Tuesday night’s “attack” was intended to “disrupt the Iranian president’s visit.” Relations between Iran and Iraq, both predominantly Shiite-majority nations, have strengthened notably since the 2003 US-led invasion, which resulted in the overthrow of Iraq’s Sunni-dominated regime under Saddam Hussein.
“Iraq is one of our friends, brothers and Muslim countries,” Pezeshkian said before leaving Iran, according to footage aired on Iranian state television.
“And for this reason, we will go to this country as the first trip,” he added.
Pezeshkian, who assumed office in July following an early election triggered by the death of his predecessor Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, has previously connected strengthening international ties to mitigating the pressures of sanctions.
“Relations with neighbouring countries… can neutralise a significant amount of pressure of the sanctions,” he said last month.
Iran has endured years of severe Western sanctions, particularly after the United States, under then-President Donald Trump, unilaterally withdrew from the landmark 2015 nuclear deal in 2018. In response, Pezeshkian has appointed Mohammad Javad Zarif, the chief diplomat who negotiated the agreement, as his vice president for strategic affairs, reflecting his efforts to pursue a more open diplomatic approach for Iran.
According to Iranian media, non-oil trade between Iran and Iraq reached nearly $5 billion over the past five months, starting in March 2024. Iran also exports millions of cubic meters of gas daily to Iraq to fuel its power plants, benefitting from a regularly renewed waiver from US sanctions. However, Iraq is significantly behind on payments for these imports, which account for 30 percent of its electricity needs. Political scientist Ali al-Baidar noted that enhancing trade ties was a key objective of Pezeshkian’s visit.
"Iran needs the Iraqi market for its exports, just as it needs Iraq's energy imports," the Iraqi analyst said.
Washington maintains approximately 2,500 troops in Iraq and 900 in neighbouring Syria as part of an international coalition against the Islamic State jihadist group. Last winter, US-led coalition forces in both countries faced numerous drone and rocket attacks. This surge in violence, linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, involved Iran-backed armed groups throughout the Middle East. In response to these attacks, the US conducted retaliatory airstrikes in both Iraq and Syria.
On Sunday, Iraqi Defence Minister Thabet al-Abbassi announced on the pan-Arab television channel Al-Hadath that the US-led coalition is expected to withdraw from most of Iraq by September 2025 and from the Kurdish autonomous region by September 2026. However, these target dates have not yet been finalised between Baghdad and Washington. Additionally, Pezeshkian is scheduled to visit the Kurdish regional capital of Arbil for discussions with Kurdish officials, according to Iran’s official IRNA news agency.
In March of the previous year, Tehran signed a security agreement with the federal government in Baghdad following airstrikes on bases of Iranian Kurdish rebel groups in the autonomous region. As part of the agreement, both parties committed to disarming the rebels and removing them from border areas.
Image source: Reuters
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