Iran’s Quds Force commander holds talks in Baghdad

Rare publicly announced visit comes days before Arab Summit in Iraqi capital

Esmail Qaani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, travelled to Iraq on Wednesday. AFP

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani travelled to Iraq on Wednesday, in a rare publicly announced visit days before an Arab Summit in Baghdad.

The visit was announced by Iraqi National Security Adviser Qasim Al Araji, who met Mr Qaani in Baghdad. He said they discussed "joint efforts to secure the borders and the implementation of the security agreement between the two countries".

Tehran has accused Kurdish groups in Iraq of smuggling weapons to Iran and fomenting the nationwide protests that erupted in 2022 after the death of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. She was detained for "improperly" wearing a hijab.

In March 2023, Tehran and Baghdad signed a security agreement after launching air strikes against bases of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups. They have since agreed to disarm them and remove them from border areas.

The largest of these groups is the Kurdistan Free Life Party, a militia that is closely affiliated with Turkey's Kurdistan Workers' Party, which also operates in northern Iraq. Others include the Komala Party and the Kurdistan Freedom Party. All have sought the creation of an independent Kurdish state in Iran.

Mr Al Araji and Mr Qaani also discussed the continuing talks between Washington and Tehran over a new deal to put limits on Iran's nuclear programme. Iran described the latest round of talks in Oman on Saturday as "difficult but useful". The US, meanwhile, has continued to hit Iran with sanctions.

“We emphasised the importance of the success of negotiations between Washington and Tehran and the commitment of all parties to dialogue and calm to achieve stability in the region,” Mr Al Araji said.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday blamed Iran for instability in the Middle East, telling Tehran that his administration would inflict "massive maximum pressure" if it continues to attack its neighbours and support terrorism.

A woman passes an anti-US mural in Tehran, Iran. EPA

Addressing the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh on the second day of his official trip to the Gulf, Mr Trump accused Iran of causing "unthinkable suffering" in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen and beyond.

“We'll never allow America and its allies to be threatened with terrorism or nuclear attack. The choice is theirs to make," he said.

The annual meeting of the Arab League will be the first to be hosted by Iraq since 2012. It comes at a critical time for the region, as Israel's war on Gaza intensifies, and Iran and the US talks.

For the Iraqi government, the event is a way to underline the return of Baghdad to a central role in the Middle East after decades of war and political isolation.