{
  "id": 1971319,
  "title": "Iran’s parliament speaker calls for stronger ‘new order’ on Iraq visit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/irans-parliament-speaker-calls-for-stronger-new-order-on-iraq-visit-1971319",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T15:40:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/08/19/visiting-iraq-iran-s-parliament-speaker-hails-new-order-in-the-region"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf visited Iraq on Wednesday, emphasizing the necessity of fortifying the \"new order\" in the region during his three-day trip. Ghalibaf's visit comes amidst American pressure on Iraq to disarm factions associated with Tehran, which holds considerable political sway in Iraq.\n\nPrime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who assumed office three months ago with US support, has committed to limiting weaponry to state control. Addressing the site where Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was assassinated by a US strike in 2020, Ghalibaf stated: \"Our journey to Iraq today aims at strengthening the new order in the region and hastening the enhancement of cooperation among all countries in the region, free from foreign interference.\"\n\nGhalibaf is set to meet Zaidi later on Wednesday and subsequently engage with the Coordination Framework, the dominant parliamentary bloc comprising Shia parties with diverse levels of connection to Tehran. Iraq has become entangled in the Middle East conflict, with pro-Iranian factions carrying out assaults on US interests, prompting retaliatory strikes by Washington. Iran has also targeted installations belonging to Iranian Kurdish opposition groups.\n\nIraq faces significant challenges in maintaining equilibrium between Iran and the US, as it has been a battleground for rivalry between the two powers since the US invasion in 2003. Zaidi has instructed armed factions, some aligned with the Iran-backed Axis of Resistance, to surrender their weapons to the state by September 30, coinciding with the projected conclusion of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group.\n\nHowever, some of the most influential factions, particularly those in close proximity to Iran, are reluctant to cooperate. On Thursday, Ghalibaf will journey to the sacred city of Karbala, where he will participate in commemorations marking 40 days since the funeral of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in US-Israeli strikes on February 28.",
  "summary": "Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf says the trip to Iraq aims to strengthen the new order in the region and accelerate cooperation among regional countries without foreign interference.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al-Monitor",
        "title": "Iran’s Ghalibaf makes high-level visit to Iraq ahead of disarmament deadline",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/irans-ghalibaf-makes-high-level-visit-to-iraq-ahead-of-disarmament",
        "published": "2026-08-19T15:07:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Iran’s parliament speaker calls for stronger ‘new order’ on Iraq visit",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/irans-parliament-speaker-calls-for-stronger-new-order-on-iraq-visit",
        "published": "2026-08-19T15:40:51.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}