Iraqi PM al-Zamdi visits Tehran, stresses regional mediation role

WASHINGTON, United States — TEHRAN — Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani arrived in Tehran on Thursday for a one-day visit, holding talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior officials on security, economic and energy cooperation. The trip follows his recent visit to Washington and is his second foreign engagement of the week. Speaking alongside Pezeshkian, al-Sudani said Iraq and Iran share a common security, pledging that Iraqi territory would not be used to threaten Iran. He also called for expanding bilateral investment. The two sides signed memorandums of understanding covering international freight transport, a planned Kermanshah-Hasanshahr-Khanaqin-Baghdad railway link, a Baghdad-Tehran sister-city agreement and cooperation in public administration and human resources. International relations expert Salih Shuzur said U.S. President Donald Trump had assigned al-Sudani a major role, suggesting the Tehran visit carried messages aimed at opening a negotiation channel with Washington. Iranian affairs analyst Mehdi Azizi said discussions focused on the Strait of Hormuz, the transfer of armed groups' weapons to the state and Iran's nuclear program. The two governments agreed to draft a comprehensive strategic document covering political, economic, cultural and security cooperation, accelerate railway projects and strengthen coordination on drought, dust storms and counterterrorism. No further details on next steps were immediately available.