Iraq PM heads to Iran: Can Baghdad redefine its relationship with Tehran?

What the report says

Al Jazeera reported that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Tehran on July 23, 2026, days after his first official visit to Washington, DC, where he met US President Donald Trump. The trip to Iran, including a meeting with President Masoud Pezeshkian, comes early in al-Zaidi’s premiership after he took office in May and highlights Baghdad’s effort to manage ties with two powers that have deeply influenced Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion.

According to the report, al-Zaidi’s Washington visit produced a warmer public tone with Trump and announcements of agreements involving US companies, including plans linked to reviving a dormant Iraqi-Syrian oil pipeline. The Iraqi leader has signalled that he wants relations with the United States to move beyond security issues toward economic cooperation, while also pursuing an anticorruption drive at home.

The Tehran stop underscores why that shift is difficult. Al Jazeera noted Iraq’s dependence on Iranian gas and electricity, trade with Iran valued at more than $12bn annually, and strong religious, cultural and political links. Tehran also maintains influence through Shia parties and armed groups that are embedded in Iraq’s security landscape, while Washington has pushed Baghdad to bring Iran-aligned factions more firmly under state control.

The report said talks in Tehran are expected to reflect Iraq’s broader balancing act, including relations with Gulf Arab states and Turkiye and disputes over Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in northern Iraq. Al Jazeera assessed that major policy changes are unlikely, but the visit raises the central question of whether Iraq’s new leadership can assert more independence while preserving working ties with both Tehran and Washington.