Iranian parliament speaker arrives in Baghdad for regional, bilateral talks

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf arrived in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Wednesday at the head of a high-level delegation for talks on regional developments and bilateral ties, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

Iraq’s parliament media office said First Deputy Speaker Adnan Fayhan received Qalibaf and his delegation at Baghdad International Airport.

Speaking at the site in Baghdad where Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), were killed in a US strike in 2020, Qalibaf described Iraq as an “important country in the region.”

“Our visit is aimed at discussing cooperation among regional countries without foreign interference,” Qalibaf told a press conference.

He said Muslim countries in the region need to expand areas of cooperation and establish “deep and sustainable relations,” adding that Iran is working toward that goal.

Qalibaf said he would meet several senior Iraqi government officials during his visit.

Before departing Tehran, Qalibaf said the visit, made at the invitation of his Iraqi counterpart, would focus on expanding cooperation between Tehran and Baghdad in economic, political, cultural, social and security fields, according to his official Telegram channel.

He described relations between Iran and Iraq as “very important and fundamental” to regional developments, saying the region would witness a “new order” in the future.

In a separate post on the US social media company X, Qalibaf said ties between the Iranian and Iraqi peoples are “historic and inseparable.”

“Our neighborly relationship was built on brotherhood during the most difficult days, resistance to foreign intervention, and belief in the shared destiny of the two countries,” he said, adding that this history would serve as a guide for the future.

Qalibaf is also expected to travel to Karbala to attend a ceremony marking the 40th day since the burial of Iran’s late leader, representing Iran’s supreme leader.