“They are good now, and we will make them even better,” Pezeshkian told Rudaw in Kurdish, responding to a question about Tehran’s ties with Baghdad and Erbil.
Pezeshkian landed in Baghdad on Wednesday, in his first foreign visit since assuming office. He is also set to visit the Kurdistan Region during his trip.
Iran and Iraq have shared a strong relationship since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Tehran has since increased its influence over Baghdad, and the country has dozens of armed groups who are affiliated to the Shiite rule in Tehran.
“We will discuss all political, security, economic, scientific, and cultural issues,” Pezeshkian stated.
The visit to Iraq marks Pezeshkian’s first trip abroad after winning in Iran’s snap presidential election in June. He was invited by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani during a phone call between the two leaders after his election victory.
On Tuesday, Iran’s Consul General to Erbil Nasrollah Rashnoudi told Rudaw that the purpose of Pezeshkian’s trip to Iraq is “to develop bilateral ties in different fields.”
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani has visited Iran twice this year. In May, He conducted a three-day trip to Tehran and met top officials including Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and late President Ebrahim Raisi. Barzani also attended Pezeshkian’s inauguration ceremony in late July.
“They [Barzani’s trips] are definitely impactful. We see the impact of Nechirvan Barzani’s visits,” Rashnoudi said, adding that Pezeshkian’s visit to the Kurdistan Region is upon the Kurdish president’s invitation.
The Kurdistan Region and Iran enjoy good ties. During a forum in Sulaimani in April, Barzani said that Iran has contributed to the economic “success” of the Kurdistan Region.
But the relationship has been strained in recent years by Tehran’s attacks on exiled Kurdish groups and deadly missile strikes on locations that it alleged were Mossad bases in the Region; Erbil has vehemently rejected the claims.
Iraq and Iran signed a security pact in March 2023 that saw Baghdad agree to disarm Kurdish opposition groups and secure the border regions. Iran had threatened to use military action if Baghdad failed to fulfill the agreement.
