Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Iraq Sunday and met with the country’s top officials, including the prime minister, president and foreign minister. Zarif’s one day trip took place just before Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was scheduled to visit Iran’s regional rival Saudi Arabia, then Iran and later the United States, though the Saudi visit appears to have been delayed due to the king’s health issues.
This was Zarif’s first trip to Iraq since the assassination of former Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport along with Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. Upon landing at Baghdad airport, Zarif’s first stop was a visit to a mural of Soleimani and Muhandis marking the spot where the two were killed.
