Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi is set to travel to Tehran on Sunday, where he will meet with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi to discuss energy issues between the two countries and specifically "Iranian-Saudi relations," according to a government source on Friday. This meeting will be the first between Al-Kadhimi and Raisi since the latter took office as President of Iran in early August.
The visit comes a month before the early legislative elections in Iraq scheduled for October 10, which Al-Kadhimi promised to hold following the 2019 protests that called for fighting corruption and reducing Iranian influence in the country.
A source in the cabinet, who wished to remain anonymous, stated that Al-Kadhimi will discuss "security, energy, and relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran" during his visit to Tehran. Iraq and Iran maintain close official relations, although many Iraqis oppose what they perceive as the expanding Iranian influence in the country.
Iraq heavily relies on Iranian imports, especially in electric power, facing severe energy shortages that have led it to depend on Iran, which supplies about one-third of Iraq's gas and electricity needs. However, Iran halted its exports to Iraq for several days earlier in the summer due to Baghdad's failure to repay debts amounting to approximately six billion dollars for energy supplies.
According to the government source, the meeting will also address the tense relations between Riyadh and Tehran, with Iraq seeking to play a mediating role after hosting closed-door meetings between the two parties. Baghdad successfully gathered diplomats from both countries during a conference held at the end of August in Iraq.
It is expected that the visit will also discuss granting entry visas to Iranian visitors coming to Iraq to visit the holy shrines in Najaf and Karbala, as per the same source. The Iraqi Prime Minister announced in a statement on Thursday an increase in the number of foreign visitors during the commemoration of "Arbaeen" of Imam Hussein at the end of this month. Now, 60,000 Iranian visitors will be allowed to enter Karbala, up from the previous limit of 30,000. The number of visas has declined since last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
