Iran's Ghalibaf to visit Iraq for security talks

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf will travel to Iraq on Wednesday for talks on regional developments and security cooperation, Iranian media reported.

Iran's Fars news agency said Ghalibaf would lead “a high-level parliamentary delegation” to discuss regional developments, strengthen strategic cooperation between Tehran and Baghdad and explore joint solutions for stability and security in the Middle East.

Iran's ISNA news agency reported Tehran's ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem al-Sadeq, as saying the visit had been planned in advance and was scheduled to last two days.

The visit comes as Iraq faces pressure from Washington to disarm powerful Iran-backed armed factions that have built political and financial influence in the country. Baghdad has given pro-Iran armed groups until September 30 to disarm, coinciding with the end of the US-led anti-jihadist coalition's mission.

It also comes days after a drone attack on the office of the prime minister of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, which Kurdish authorities initially blamed on Tehran. Iran denied involvement, saying the incident was a ploy to undermine bilateral relations.

Ghalibaf led negotiations with the United States to end the Middle East war. Iran has been at war with the United States since US-Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic on February 28 triggered a conflict that spread across the Middle East.