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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani visited Iraq last week to help maintain the unofficial truce between militant groups and the US after Gaza’s ceasefire fell apart, sources told The National on Tuesday.
The visit came as Tehran and Washington lay the groundwork for potential landmark negotiations over Iran’s nuclear programme, its regional role and its support for non-state armed groups heavily weakened following the war with Israel.
It also came amid a US military campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have resumed attacks in the Red Sea in support of their ally Hamas in Gaza, and who, in recent months, have emerged as Iran’s most effective proxy force.
“Esmail Qaani visited Baghdad on the 19th of this month. The message he carried was to confirm understanding of Iraq's position regarding the truce between Iraqi factions and the US troops in Iraq,” said an Iraqi source close to the main umbrella of militant groups. “He expressed support for it and wanted to ensure it’s still in place."
An unannounced truce that involved Tehran and the Iraqi government in February last year halted the militias' attacks against US troops in the Middle East. However, as the war in Gaza continued, attacks resumed for a short time, before the truce was restored.
Mr Qaani’s visit to Iraq comes in the wake of the recent collapse of the Gaza ceasefire, with Israel resuming its offensive and killing hundreds of Palestinians, raising the risk of renewed conflict on several fronts.
However, the dynamics in the Middle East have shifted since the last time a Gaza ceasefire broke down. Hezbollah, Iran’s main proxy in Lebanon, has been significantly weakened and is likely unable to open a new front against Israel. Meanwhile, the Assad regime in Syria, long under Iranian influence, has collapsed. In Iraq, Iran-backed militant groups remain bound by the unofficial truce brokered by Tehran and the Baghdad government.
Amid this backdrop, US President Donald Trump appears to be seeking to capitalise on what seems to be Iran’s weakened position and reopen the door to a potential comprehensive agreement that would address not only Iran’s nuclear activities but also its regional influence and support for armed groups.
While Iran has said it will not negotiate directly, it has acknowledged that Mr Trump’s approach presents opportunities and is reportedly considering it.
“There is something resembling a new phase after Trump's recently announced message to the Iranians,” said another Iraqi source with knowledge of Iran's thinking. “The Americans are trying to test Iran's good intentions, and Tehran is sending positive signals, as Foreign Minister [Abbas] Araghchi has indicated, about its willingness to negotiate, even if only indirectly, with Trump.”
One of Iran’s key remaining pressure points is Yemen, where the Houthi rebels, also known as Ansar Allah, have resumed attacks on ships in the Red Sea, drawing a renewed US bombing campaign in response.
“Trump believes that striking Ansar Allah will complement the dismantling of Iranian-backed forces, making it easier for him to impose terms in future negotiations,” said a security source in Sanaa.
Since his appointment in 2020, Mr Qaani has faced the challenge of co-ordinating and sustaining the network of Tehran-backed militant groups across the region, particularly during heightened tension with Israel. As the overseas arm of the IRGC, the Quds Force leads Iran’s foreign military operations and oversees a web of proxies known collectively as the “Axis of Resistance”.
That network has come under unprecedented strain since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, with its strength and unity being tested like never before.
Speculation about Mr Qaani’s status intensified after reports that he may have been injured in an Israeli air strike on southern Beirut, an area known to house Hezbollah offices and senior leadership. He later appeared publicly at a funeral in Tehran.
In recent days, Yemeni sources reported that former Iraqi prime minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi visited Sanaa carrying messages from Mr Qaani and US officials to the Houthis. The communications reportedly included “new proposals” aimed at “reducing tension in the region”.
According to the leader of one Iraqi militant group backed by Iran, the US is “trying to test Iran's good intentions through the Yemeni issue, but the Iranian leadership has repeatedly emphasised that it does not dictate actions to Ansar Allah”.
