Iran's president visits Iraq on first foreign trip

11/9/2024 13:41

        Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian headed for close ally Iraq on Wednesday, on his first official foreign trip, Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Wednesday.
        
        Iraq hosts several Iran-aligned parties and armed groups. Tehran has been steadily increasing its sway in Iraq since a U.S.-led invasion toppled its enemy Saddam Hussein in 2003.
        
        According to Iran's state media, "We are planning to sign several agreements. We will meet senior Iraqi officials in Baghdad," Pezeshkian, a relative moderate, said ahead of his trip.
        
        Baghdad is also a close ally of Washington.