Iraq asks Iran for special consideration regarding oil exports via Strait of Hormuz

Iraq asked Iran on Wednesday to give the country special consideration regarding oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz, as Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf held high-level talks in Baghdad, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency, Anadolu reports.

At a meeting with Qalibaf, Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi raised the issue, calling for Iraq to be given “special consideration” regarding oil exports through the strategic waterway.

Al-Halbousi said that Iraq remains among the countries most affected by regional developments, stressing the importance of deeper bilateral ties and stepped-up cooperation between Baghdad and Tehran.

He also called for the activation of parliamentary “friendship committees” and the enhancement of diplomacy between the two countries’ national assemblies.

Qalibaf, for his part, stressed Tehran’s willingness to strengthen bilateral cooperation, especially in the trade and economic fields.

The Iranian parliament speaker met separately with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, with whom he discussed regional and global developments and means of enhancing bilateral ties.

Rashid reaffirmed Baghdad’s support for diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving regional crises, stressing the need for “constructive dialogue” to address outstanding grievances and establish lasting security.

Qalibaf said Iran was keen to coordinate with Iraq across a range of fields.

Earlier Wednesday, Qalibaf arrived in Baghdad at the head of a high-level delegation, where he was received at Baghdad International Airport by First Deputy Parliament Speaker Adnan Fayhan.

Speaking at the site where slain Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a leader of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, were killed in a US strike in 2020, Qalibaf described Iraq as an “important country in the region.”

“Our visit is aimed at discussing cooperation among regional countries without foreign interference,” he said.

He added that Islamic countries in the region should broaden their cooperation and establish “deep and sustainable relations,” adding that Iran was working toward that goal.

Before departing Tehran, Qalibaf had said that his visit – which came at the invitation of his Iraqi counterpart – would focus on Iran-Iraq cooperation in the economic, political, cultural, social, and security fields.

He described relations between Iran and Iraq as “fundamental” to regional developments, saying the region would soon see the emergence of a “new order.”

In a social media post, Qalibaf described ties between the Iranian and Iraqi people as “historic and inseparable.”

“Our neighborly relationship was built on brotherhood during the most difficult days, resistance to foreign intervention and belief in the shared destiny of the two countries,” he said, adding that this common history would serve as a guide in the future.

Qalibaf is also expected to travel to Karbala to attend a ceremony marking the passage of 40 days since the burial of Iran’s late supreme leader.