Photo: ANF
Commander of the elite “Al-Quds” unit of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Esmail Ghahani arrived in Baghdad on the eve of the Arab Summit. Iran is stepping up pressure on Iraq to control Kurdish opposition and include its demands on the agenda of the summit. This was reported by The Jerusalem Post.
According to The National, Ghani’s visit was publicly confirmed by Iraqi National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji, who noted that the parties discussed “joint border security and the implementation of the 2023 security agreement between Tehran and Baghdad”.
The visit coincided with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani’s trip to Tehran, where he met with prominent pro-Iranian leaders Hadi al-Amiri and Qais Khazali. Iran is seeking to consolidate its influence on the eve of an important summit, and is also discussing the progress of negotiations with the United States.
“We stressed the importance of the success of the talks between Washington and Tehran and the preservation of regional stability,” al-Araji said.
At the same time, the Prime Minister of Sudan spoke out against duality in the arms sector in Iraq: “Strengthening security is only possible through a state monopoly on weapons,” he said in an interview with Sky News Arabia.
Geopolitical context
Haani’s visit is a signal from Tehran on the eve of the regional summit: Iran wants to influence the political agenda. Ghahani is also holding informal consultations on the progress of talks with the United States on sanctions and security in Iraq and Syria. At the same time, the pro-Iranian camp opposes Syria’s participation in the summit.
Interestingly, while Ghani is in Baghdad, former US President Donald Trump is in the region – in Qatar and is likely to head to Turkey. Official Baghdad has not reacted to Trump’s presence, despite the presence of US troops in Iraq.
