Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will travel to Tehran on Thursday at the head of a senior government delegation for talks with top Iranian officials on energy, trade, transportation and agriculture.
The Iraqi government said the issue of bringing all weapons under state control would not be on the agenda, calling it “an Iraqi sovereign matter.”
The visit comes less than a week after al-Zaidi traveled to the United States, as Baghdad steps up diplomacy with regional and international partners while trying to balance its ties with Washington and Tehran amid mounting regional tensions.
Government spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi said on Wednesday that the visit followed an official invitation from the Iranian president and that al-Zaidi would be accompanied by a senior delegation.
Talks will cover energy, trade, transportation and agriculture, he said, adding that gas would also be discussed “in line with Iraq’s interests.”
