Iranian President Arrives in Next-Door Iraq in 1st Official Visit Abroad

Along with 2,500 U.S. troops, Iraq hosts several Iran-backed militia groups, some of which are linked to Baghdad’s security apparatus.

Newly elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (C); former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (L); and Hassan Khomeini (R), grandson of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, visit Khomeini's shrine in the south of Tehran, Iran, on July 6, 2024. Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Baghdad on Sept. 11, where he held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani and other Iraqi officials.

The visit, expected to last three days, is Pezeshkian’s first foreign trip since assuming office last month after winning the July presidential elections.