Iranian parliamentary leader visits Iraq, urges reinforcement of regional new order
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in Iraq, calling for a stronger regional "new order" and pledging deeper cooperation without outside meddling.
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf began a three-day visit to Iraq, stressing the need to solidify a "new order" in the Middle East and to boost regional cooperation free of foreign interference. Speaking near Baghdad airport, the site of the 2020 U.S. strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani, he described the resistance movement as now global in scope. Ghalibaf is slated to meet Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who recently took office with U.S. backing and has promised to bring militia arms under state control by September 30.
He will also address the Coordination Framework, the largest parliamentary bloc of Shia parties with varying ties to Tehran. The trip comes as Iraq balances U.S. demands to curb Iran-linked factions that have launched attacks on American interests, while those groups resist disarmament. On Thursday, Ghalibaf will travel to Karbala for ceremonies marking 40 days since the funeral of former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Why it matters
The visit highlights Iraq’s delicate balancing act between U.S. pressure and Iranian influence in a volatile region.
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