Iranupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 27 March 2025Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi Secretly Visits Tehran for Talks With Qalibaf
“requested by US President Donald Trump”
“there was no immediate official confirmation from Tehran or Baghdad.”
Photo: Orijentolog, CC BY 4.0 · Cropped for layout
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Ali al-Zaidi conducted an unannounced Tehran visit to meet Iran's negotiating chief Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf. Iraqi ambassador to Tehran said the talks aimed to reduce tensions and prevent escalation.
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Iraq seeks de-escalation
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi made an unannounced visit to Tehran on Friday for talks with Iran’s chief negotiator on efforts to end the war between Tehran and Washington, Iranian media reported Monday.
An informed source cited by Iran’s Fars news agency said al-Zaidi and his accompanying delegation met Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, head of Iran’s negotiating team, during a visit lasting several hours.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Tehran had not submitted a new proposal to Washington, stressing that its existing two-day plan remained on the table.
Baquaei said Iran’s demands included ending the US naval blockade, lifting sanctions, releasing frozen Iranian assets and ending the war.
The Anadolu Ajansı account also said the US and Israel launched a military offensive against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering Iranian retaliatory attacks and escalating tensions across the region.
Who met whom in Tehran
The Embassy of Baghdad in Iran confirmed the secret visit of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Fahd al-Zaydi to Tehran on Friday, November 6, and said the mission aimed at “reducing tensions and preventing a war in the region from escalating.”
Tasnim Agency, affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported that al-Zaydi met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iranian Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Kalibaf after talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and his special envoy for Iraq and Syria, Tom Barrack.
Tasnim added that Falih Al-Fayyadh of the Popular Mobilization Forces’ Saraya Katha and Hadi Al-Amiri of the Badr Organization accompanied al-Zaydi during the visit.
The National reported that a government official said the visit had been requested by U.S. President Donald Trump and was “intended to open a channel for de-escalation and prevent a slide towards war.”
An Anadolu Ajansı account said the discussions focused exclusively on Iraq’s diplomatic efforts to end the Iran-US war, with no other issues addressed.
Two-day plan and unresolved results
Iranian officials told Iraqi counterparts that advancing negotiations required the United States to respect Iran’s rights within the framework of Tehran’s “two-day proposal,” according to accounts citing Fars and other Iranian-linked reporting. An Anadolu Ajansı account said Qalibaf outlined Tehran’s two-day proposal and stressed that Washington must respect Iran’s rights under the plan to advance negotiations. The Khabaronline account, citing HamA News and a well-informed source, said al-Zaydi asked Trump for more time to speak with Iranian officials and that the Iraqi delegation left Tehran without achieving the desired result.
Iran International reported that the Iraqi prime minister’s secret visit aimed at reducing tensions, while Tasnim-linked reporting said the talks focused on Iraq’s efforts to end the war between Iran and the United States. Mehr News Agency’s Tehran dateline said an informed source explained the visit’s details and that the conversation focused on Iraq’s efforts to end the war between Iran and the United States and had no link to other issues.