Iran's Pezeshkian Seeks to Cement Ties in Iraq on his 1st Trip Abroad as President

Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian traveled to Iraq Wednesday on his first trip abroad, hoping to cement Tehran’s ties to Baghdad as regional tensions increasingly pull both countries into the widening Middle East fray.

For Iran, its relationship with Iraq remains crucial for economic, political and religious reasons — something that has especially been true since the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, who launched a bloody, years-long war against Iran in the 1980s.

Baghdad, meanwhile, has been trying to balance its relationship with Tehran, which backs powerful Shiite militias in the country, as well as with the United States, which maintains a force of 2,500 troops in Iraq that remain in battle with remnants of the once-dominant extremist Islamic State group.

The American troops remain both a literal and rhetorical target for Iran, particularly as Israel’s nearly year-old war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip grinds on.

Just before Pezeshkian’s arrival, an explosion struck a site near Baghdad International Airport used by the U.S. military Tuesday night.

The circumstances of the explosion were not clear and there was no immediate information on damage or casualties.