Iran's Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf arrives in Iraq for three-day visit

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf landed in Baghdad on Wednesday for a three-day official visit, amid heightened tensions between Iraq and Iran over disarmament. Upon arrival, Ghalibaf was welcomed by First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Adnan Al Fayhan. The itinerary includes stops in Karbala and Najaf, two significant Shiite cities in Iraq, and is set to conclude on Friday afternoon.

The visit comes at a time when Iraq's powerful armed groups have been refusing to disarm by the September 30 deadline, escalating the rift between Baghdad and factions with strong ties to Tehran. Additionally, the trip aligns with ongoing negotiations between Iraq and Iran regarding the export of Iraqi crude oil through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ghalibaf's agenda includes a meeting with Iraqi Parliament Speaker Haibat Al Halbousi and President Nizar Al-Maleh on Wednesday. Later, he will engage in talks with the Iraqi delegation at the Council of Ministers and the Co-ordination Framework, the largest Shiite bloc in parliament, in the presence of Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi.

On Thursday, Ghalibaf will meet with the Chief of Judiciary Council Faiq Zaidan and National Security Adviser Qassem Al Aboudi. The following day, he heads to Karbala to participate in a mourning ceremony for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His final stop is Najaf, where Ghalibaf will visit the tomb of Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis, an Iraqi militia leader who was killed in a US strike alongside Iran's Quds Force commander, Qassem Suleimani, in 2019.