Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani give a press conference after their meeting at the government palace in Baghdad on September 11, 2024. (Photo by Ahmed Jalil/ Pool / AFP)
Baghdad: Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, began a visit to Iraq on Wednesday, aiming to deepen already close ties with the neighbouring country on his first trip abroad since taking office.
The three-day trip comes amid turmoil in the Middle East sparked by the war in Gaza.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said both governments opposed any expansion of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
"In light of the escalation that the region has been going through, we have spoken a lot about the importance of stability," Sudani said, blaming Israel for the regional spillover of the war.
Pezeshkian has vowed to make relations with neighbouring countries a priority as he seeks to ease Iran's international isolation and mitigate the impact of US-led sanctions on its economy.
"It was a very good opportunity to visit the friend and brother country of Iraq in my first foreign trip as the president of Iran," he said on Wednesday.
"We need to implement security cooperation agreements between the two countries in order to deal with terrorists and enemies," he added.
Pezeshkian's visit comes after Western powers on Tuesday announced fresh sanctions on Iran for supplying Russia with short-range missiles for use against Ukraine.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani warned Britain, France and Germany that they "will face the appropriate and proportionate action" for the "hostile" move.
