Iraqi PM begins two-day trip to Tehran
Abdul-Mahdi will meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and discuss trade ties. Iraqi oil, finance, foreign, planning, trade, electricity, and water resources ministers are among the accompanying delegation, as are the national security advisor and chief of staff of the army, according to Iranian media.
Baghdad’s foreign policy is one of friendly relations with everyone, using Iraq’s geographical position to make the country a bridge between regional rivals. After decades of conflict and hostility, the government wants Iraq to leave behind the historic disputes and focus on what it has in common with its neighbours.
To this end, Abdul-Mahdi’s government has cemented its close ties with Iran and is building relations with Saudi Arabia, where the prime minister is expected to pay a visit in the near future.
Iraq and Iran hope to increase their trade volume to $20 billion, up from its current $12 billion.
The Iraqi leader’s trip comes as the United States is, yet again, increasing the pressure on Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Washington is considering designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a foreign terrorist organization.
US President Donald Trump’s administration could make the announcement on Monday, despite objections from the Pentagon and the CIA who fear the move would endanger US troops abroad without doing any harm to Iran’s economy, the newspaper reported.
The elite Revolutionary Guards were formed in 1979 and have amassed enormous political and economic clout in the country. They are also backing groups within Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), known as the Hashd al-Shaabi, as well as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Washington has repeatedly urged Baghdad to cut its ties with Iran – especially in the energy sector, but the Iraqi government has said such a severance from its neighbour would be impossible.
