Iraq-Iran cooperation will take the visit of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to Iraq as an opportunity to enter a new stage, said political analysts in Iraq.
Pezeshkian arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday for his first official foreign visit since taking office in July.
During his visit, Pezeshkian met with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, who expressed Iraq's intent to enhance bilateral cooperation on counterterrorism, border security, and efforts to ease regional tensions, according to a statement from the Iraqi Presidency.
Pezeshkian responded by affirming Iran's readiness to strengthen bilateral ties and improve coordination on mutual interests, the statement said.
"Pezeshkian came to Iraq today to identify and discuss important issues, and one of the issues is energy. In addition, another important issue is to support the cause of the Palestinian people," said Kazem Jaber, an Iraqi political scholar.
"I think Iran's strategic starting point is Iraq, and this visit marks the beginning of a new phase of Iran's diplomacy. Bilateral cooperation and communication on political affairs between Iraq and Iran aim to achieve common interests," said Salah Boushi, a political analyst in Iraq.
The U.S. military presence has long been posing a challenge to the Middle East, particularly to Iraq and Iran.
Iraqi experts said the two countries are trying to cope with the external intervention through new cooperation route.
"It is well known that the United States has been creating conflicts and contradictions by plundering and exploiting other countries' resources and has never withdrawn in a peaceful manner. I think the visit of Pezeshkian to Iraq today will clarify the course of how the two countries can work together to get rid of the hegemony of the United States," Jaber said.
"Iran sees the U.S. military presence as a threat to Iraq and the Arab world as well as to Iran itself. The need to sustain the "axis of resistance" represented by Iran is clear. Iran is trying to strengthen ties to achieve regional stability and ensure Iran's national security," Boushi said.
Iraq-Iran cooperation to enter new stage: Iraqi experts
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Monday that his country has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemen's Houthi group.
The president made the remarks at a press conference in Tehran, in response to a question from an Al Jazeera news network reporter who quoted political experts saying that Iran has supplied hypersonic missiles, or the technology to develop them, to the Houthis.
Iran has hypersonic missiles, but not of the same kind that the Houthis possess, Pezeshkian said, adding that the Houthis themselves had developed the missiles over time.
It is impossible for Iran to send missiles to Yemen covertly when it takes more than a week just to send solely human forces to the country, he said.
Pezeshkian said that Iran and the Houthis have worked together against Israel's "genocide" in Gaza, and stressed that the international community should condemn the crimes against humanity committed by Israel.
"If [the Western] countries are worried about the security of Israel, why are they not concerned about the security of Gaza Strip, the security of Palestine and innocent people? Civilized countries and supporters of human rights should not allow power to bomb and kill innocent civilians while simultaneously accusing Iran of supplying missiles to Yemen's Houthis," said Pezeshkian.
On Iran-U.S. relations, Pezeshkian emphasized Iran's pursuit of peace over conflict and clarified that Iran has no intentions of building nuclear weapons.
However, he said, the U.S. has chosen to abandon the Iran nuclear deal and made threats against Iran. The possibility of a relaxation in strained relations between the two sides hinges on the U.S. dropping its animosity towards Iran and revoking its extensive sanctions against the country, he said.
"We don't want to start a war, but the U.S. wants to impose wars on us. If the U.S. is willing to respect Iran's rights, we will not engage in conflict with the U.S. or any other party. We hope to develop safely in our own country without the U.S. undermining Iran's security or threaten and humiliate Iran. we will never accept humiliation," Pezeshkian said.
Iran has not sent hypersonic missiles to Yemen's Houthis: President Pezeshkian
