Iran: President Pezeshkian visits Iraq on first trip abroad

Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, traveled to Iraq on Wednesday on his first official trip abroad since taking office.

Pezeshkian held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in the capital, Baghdad, after which he said the pair had signed a number of agreements to expand ties between the two neighbors.

"Fourteen cooperation memorandums were signed between Iran and Iraq, which is the starting point of the expansion of cooperation," Pezeshkian said at a joint press conference alongside al-Sudani.

Against the backdrop of increasing tensions across the Middle East, particularly regarding the role of Iran and Iranian-backed groups in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, Pezeshkian said, "If we are together, we will avoid falling into the fire."

Al-Sudani blamed Israel for the escalation in regional tensions, saying: "In light of the escalation that the region has been going through, we have spoken a lot about the importance of stability."

Iran's Pezeshkian slams West over support for Israel

Earlier, upon arrival, Pezeshkian had criticized Western powers for their support of Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which local health officials say has claimed the lives of over 40,000 Palestinians and displaced 90% of the local population.

"The Israeli entity is committing massacres against women, children, young men and the elderly," he said.

"They bomb hospitals and schools," he added, claiming: "All these crimes are being committed by using European and American ammunition and bombs."

Iraq's complex relations with the US and Iran

The political situation in Iraq is particularly complex, with the country playing host not only to several Iran-aligned parties and armed groups but also to about 2,500 US troops.

When Iran launched a large-scale aerial attack on Israel on April 13, 2024, Iraq technically closed its airspace along with several other US allies, but some Iranian rockets were still launched from and intercepted over Iraqi territory.

Hours before Pezeshkian's arrival in Baghdad, a blast rocked a base at the airport used by the US-led anti-jihadi coalition, security officials said.

A spokesperson for the Iranian-backed Ketaeb Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades) in Iraq said the attack's objective was to "disrupt the Iranian president's visit."

The US Embassy later described it as an "attack" on the Baghdad Diplomatic Services Compound, an American diplomatic facility, and that it was "assessing the damage."

Iran threatens UK, France and Germany

Nevertheless, Pezeshkian has vowed to make relations with Iraq and other neighboring countries a priority as he seeks to mitigate the impact of US-led sanctions on its economy.

On Tuesday, Western powers declared fresh sanctions on Tehran for supplying Russia with short-range missiles for use against Ukraine.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said Britain, France and Germany "will face the appropriate and proportionate action" for their "hostile" act.

mf/kb (AP, AFP, Reuters)