Iraq's Parliament Speaker, Haibat Al Halbousi, on Wednesday asked Iran to make special arrangements for Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran has declared closed in a standoff with the US over the terms for ending their war.
Mr Al Halbousi made the request during a meeting with his visiting Iranian counterpart Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Baghdad, citing the “nature of the relationship” between the neighbouring countries, according to a statement from his office.
Iraq’s oil sales, which fund about 90 per cent of the federal budget, collapsed after the war that began on February 28 shut off the main route for its exports of about 3.4 million barrels per day.
Oil revenue dropped from $6.8 billion in February to about $2.3 billion in May and June. Iraq spends about $6.5 billion a month on salaries, pensions and social welfare, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Mr Al Halbousi told Mr Ghalibaf that Iraq was “among the countries most affected by developments in the region”, his office said. He called for the country to “have a special status with regard to the export of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, in a way that preserves its economic interests”.
Mr Ghalibaf affirmed his country's “commitment to strengthening bilateral co-operation, particularly in trade and economic fields”, the statement said.
The Iranian Parliament Speaker arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday for a three-day official visit during a sensitive time of escalating rhetoric between the Iraqi government and Iran-backed militias over disarmament.
He was received at Baghdad International Airport by First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Adnan Al Fayhan and made a stop at the spot nearby where Iran's Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi Al Muhandis were assassinated in a US drone strike in 2020.
Visiting the life-size memorial statues and site honouring the two men has become something of a ritual for Iranian officials upon their arrival to the Iraqi capital.
“Iraqi and Iranian blood was spilt in this place by the American government, and here the forces of right and wrong clashed,” Mr Ghalibaf told reporters.
He hailed the “unbreakable historic and deeply rooted bonds between the Iranian and Iraqi people”, adding that these relations would “move to big and important steps during this visit”.
He said “Islamic countries in this region need areas of co-operation, as well as deep relations and strong economic ties”, and that Iran was “ready for that”.
Powerful armed groups in Iraq are refusing to disarm before a September 30 government deadline, deepening friction between Baghdad and factions with close ties to Tehran. Talks are also continuing between Iraq and Iran to allow Iraqi crude oil to be exported through the Strait of Hormuz.
Mr Ghalibaf's visit comes days after Iraq's Kurdistan Region accused Iran of targeting the office of its Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani, and the home of a senior local security official with two drones. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi condemned the attack and ordered an investigation to “uncover the sources and origins of the attacks”.
The trip underscores Tehran’s effort to maintain close political and security co-ordination with Baghdad as both countries navigate regional security challenges and economic pressures.
Mr Ghalibaf's meeting Mr Al Halbousi was followed by meetings with President Nizar Amedi, and with the Co-ordination Framework, the largest Shiite bloc in parliament, in the presence of Mr Al Zaidi.
On Thursday, Mr Ghalibaf will hold separate meetings with Chief of Judiciary Council Faiq Zaidan and National Security Adviser Qassem Al Aboudi. He will then travel to Karbala to take part in a mourning ceremony for late Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
On Friday, Mr Ghalibaf will travel to Najaf, where he is set to visit the tomb of Commander Al Muhandis and Maj Gen Suleimani, before leaving Iraq.
