Iran23 July, 20263 min read
Iraq’s Ali Falah al-Zaidi Visits Tehran as Iran and Iraq Sign Four Cooperation Agreements
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Iraq and Iran signed four agreements spanning transport, railways, local administration, and HR training. The signing occurred during Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's Tehran visit.
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Four deals in Tehran
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falah al-Zaidi visited Tehran for two days and, during his trip, Iraq and Iran signed four agreements and memoranda of understanding in the fields of transport, railways, local administration, and human resources training. The Iraqi Prime Minister's Office said al-Zaidi and Iranian President Masoud Beshkian co-chaired the signing ceremony for the agreements, which included an international land shipping and freight agreement and a memorandum of understanding to extend a railway line linking Kermanshah, Khosravi, and Khanqin to Baghdad. The statement also said the documents included a twinning memorandum between Baghdad Municipality and Tehran Municipality, and a memorandum of understanding in the field of public administration and human resources training.
“Iraq and Iran signed four agreements and memoranda of understanding in the fields of transport, railways, local administration, and human resources training.”
On the Iraqi side, the agreements were signed by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Electricity, Finance, and Planning, according to the prime minister's office statement. During the visit, al-Zaidi met Iranian Judiciary Chief Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Eje'i, where the two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the judicial field, according to another statement from the prime minister's office.
Messages after Washington
Al Jazeera Net reported that al-Zaydi arrived in Tehran on Thursday for a two-day visit and met Iranian President Masoud Bezhkian to discuss strengthening cooperation between the two neighboring countries and regional issues. A senior government source told Al Jazeera Net that the visit carries dimensions beyond what was officially announced, including a Washington-provided line that the American administration does not seek to topple the Iranian regime. The same Al Jazeera Net report said the prime minister would inform Iranian officials that continuing to close the Strait of Hormuz and the resulting restrictions on Iraqi oil exports would exacerbate the economic and security situation inside Iraq.
Al Jazeera Net also quoted political affairs researcher Ghalib al-Da'mi saying the visit comes at a highly sensitive moment given the balance Iraq is living with between the United States and Iran. In parallel, the Iraqi government spokesperson Haider Al-Abudi said in a press conference that Al-Zaydi would be accompanied by a high-level ministerial delegation and that the visit would yield dialogues and mutual understandings focused on strengthening cooperation in trade, transport, and agriculture.
Cooperation as tensions persist
Fox News said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian met Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on Thursday and attended an honor guard ceremony ahead of talks, with Pezeshkian posting that four agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed for cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iraq. In that X post, Pezeshkian said the documents covered road transport, the Khosravi-Baghdad railway, a sister-city relationship between Tehran and Baghdad, and government management and human resources. The Anadolu Ajansı report said the agreements were signed during al-Zaidi's Tehran visit that began on Thursday and would last two days, and it described the signing ceremony as aimed at strengthening cooperation and partnership between the two countries.
“The United States is seeking to remove Chinese influence from Iraq.”
The Oil Desk article framed the broader context by saying the United States is seeking to remove Chinese influence from Iraq, and it described Iraq as a hub of competition among the United States, China, and Russia. It added that, under the 'Oil for Reconstruction and Investment' agreement signed in 2019, Chinese companies were prioritized in developing Iraq's oil and gas fields and gained special privileges for purchasing crude oil and investing in energy projects.