Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Tehran on Thursday for his first official visit to the Iranian capital since taking office in May 2026, meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at Saadabad Palace.
The trip follows al-Zaidi's meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington last week, where he announced agreements with US companies and plans to rehabilitate an Iraqi-Syrian oil pipeline. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said al-Zaidi may carry messages from Trump, but added that Tehran is not seeking further mediation with the United States.
The visit comes as Baghdad navigates competing pressures. Iran-aligned armed groups in Iraq have taken part in the US-Israel war on Iran that began in February, while Iran has demanded that Iraq prevent Iranian Kurdish opposition groups from operating in its northern territory.