ALBAWABA- Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian signed four cooperation agreements on Thursday during Al-Zaidi’s official visit to Tehran, underscoring efforts to deepen economic, transport, and administrative ties amid heightened regional tensions.
Al-Zaidi, who is on a two-day visit to Iran, was received by Pezeshkian at Tehran’s Sa’dabad Cultural-Historical Complex in an official ceremony before the two leaders held bilateral and expanded delegation talks focused on trade, energy, connectivity, and regional stability.
The agreements signed by the two sides include a land freight transport agreement to facilitate cross-border trade and logistics, a memorandum of understanding to develop the Khosravi–Khanaqin–Baghdad railway linking Iraq with western Iran, a sister-city agreement between Baghdad and Tehran to promote cultural and municipal cooperation, and an agreement on public administration, education, and human resource development aimed at strengthening institutional capacity and government cooperation.
Both governments also agreed to accelerate the implementation of existing bilateral agreements through the Iraqi-Iranian Joint Economic Committee.
The visit comes days after Al-Zaidi traveled to Washington, where he met US President Donald Trump to discuss investment, energy cooperation, and Iraq’s economic partnership with the United States. The two sides also agreed on a timetable for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq by the end of September 2026.
Al-Zaidi has recently sought to reinforce state authority by calling on armed groups to relinquish control of state institutions and integrate into Iraq’s official security forces, a move widely viewed as an effort to strengthen national sovereignty.
The Tehran visit highlights Iraq’s continued efforts to balance its close economic and political ties with Iran while maintaining strategic relations with the United States. Iraq remains heavily dependent on Iranian energy imports while simultaneously hosting US military forces, placing Baghdad at the center of escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.
