Kadhimi in Iran: Feverish pursuit to restore lost balance

Eslam Mohamed

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi’s visit to Iran comes within the framework of his attempts to restore the lost balance in the relations between his country and the mullah regime in Tehran, as Iranian-affiliated militias and groups are deployed in Iraq, which former prime ministers had turned a blind eye to despite the stark security challenge to the sovereignty of the government in Baghdad.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei received Kadhimi in his first meeting with a foreign official since the outbreak of the corona virus pandemic.

The Iraqi prime minister was accompanied on his visit to Tehran by the ministers of foreign affairs, oil, finance, defense, health, electricity and planning, as well as the national security advisor.

Meanwhile, Alireza Moezzi, deputy director of the Iranian president’s office for communications, revealed changes in Kadhimi’s reception ceremony, attributing them to the observance of health protocols related to the pandemic.

Kadhimi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who said during a joint conference that they discussed “expanding trade relations, combating the corona virus, and efforts to maintain regional stability,” also expressing his country’s desire to raise the level of bilateral trade relations to about $20 billion, as Iraq is one of the main destinations for Iranian non-oil exports. But trade between the two countries has declined with calls in Iraq to boycott Iran, as well as the closing of common borders due to the corona crisis.

During the conference, Rouhani also called for “honoring Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis,” but the Iraqi prime minister did not comment on this request, saying instead that “Iraq stands with Iran in its economic crisis” and adding that “politics in Iraq is based on goodwill.”

Kadhimi pointed out that “Iraq’s foreign relations depend on the principle of balance and staying away from any axis,” pledging not to allow any threat to Iran from Iraqi territory.

The meeting between Kadhimi and Khamenei witnessed criticism for the way the Iraqi prime minister stood before the Iranian ayatollah. Iranians said it showed the “greatness of Khamenei,” which sparked sharp criticism in Iraq.

Kadhimi was also scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia on Monday, July 20 before heading to Tehran, but his visit to Riyadh was postponed due to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz entering the hospital.

The goal of both visits was supposed to be for the Iraqi prime minister to play a mediating role between Riyadh and Tehran.

Before his visit on Sunday, July 19, Kadhimi received Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Iraq is a frequent theater of military tensions between Iran and the United States, both of which have close ties to Baghdad.

Kadhimi tries to confirm that he does not carry a project hostile towards Iran, but instead seeks to restore balance and restore the depth of Iraq’s relations with its Arab and Gulf neighbors so as to restore Iraq’s natural position in balancing the region.

Russian media have reported about upcoming visits by Kadhimi to the United States and Saudi Arabia in order to bridge the points of view between Washington and Tehran and to reduce tensions between Tehran and Riyadh.