Heading a high-ranking delegation, Rouhani arrived in Iraq on March 11 and has met high-ranking officials including Shiite Grand Cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani, President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi.

Comparing Rouhani’s visit with that of U Trump

“Without a doubt, U.S. President Donald Trump’s secret visit to Iraq was a diplomatic disaster on many levels that not only provoked massive condemnation from Iraq’s public and its political elite, but was also criticized internally on a large scale. Many western political observers saw in it as a blow to the bilateral relations which signaled a lot of negativity to the Iraqis and gave more strength to the calls for the departure of US forces. While it remains to be seen whether Iraqi decision makers will request the U.S. forces to leave the country, it certainly made their presence in Iraq difficult, regardless of the justifications. Furthermore, U.S. official visits to Iraq do not usually end up in agreements of economic value to Iraq and are often on political and security topics,” the expert, Muhammad al-Waeli told Kurdpress in an interview.

He added that “compared to Trump’s visit, Rouhani’s visit followed all the diplomatic protocols, and was prepared by a prior visit of Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif. The visit is expected to have several important results, especially economic ones that are essential for both sides. In the current visit there are agreements about wavering visa fees between the two countries, building industrial cities, increasing trade volume, and linking Iraq and Iran’s railway networks. It remains however to be seen how and when these agreements are implemented given the complicated circumstances imposed by the sanctions on Iran and also because of the anti-Iran camp in Iraq.”

Iran ties with Kurdistan Region

The expert went on to say that the visit would also strengthen Tehran ties with Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan Region.

“Rouhani’s visit is certainly a high-profile visit that sets a milestone in the relations between Iraq and Iran. However, it comes as part of a series of diplomatic developments in the bilateral relationship that have been ongoing since 2003. It is also an attempt to undo the damage to the relationship between the two countries because Iraq was forced to comply with certain U.S. sanctions that made economic interaction between the two neighbors more complicated,” he added.

“Furthermore, it is expected that Grand Ayatollah Sistani will receive President Rouhani which is slightly surprising given that the former does not normally receive Iraqi officials, or all foreign dignitaries trying to meet him. This signals that the improvements in ties between Iran and Iraq are not only political but transcend to the socio-religious level as well,” the expert told Kurdpress.

al-Waeli went on to add that “as for Iraq’s Kurds, the relationship with Iran has been developing fast since the end of the Kirkuk crisis in 2017 after it witnessed a low. This was clear with the reception Javad Zarif got when he visited Iraq a few months ago and met with Kurdish officials in Erbil. In this visit, it can be said that President Barham Salih was, in addition to his capacity as the President of Iraq, also unofficially representing the Kurds. Especially since Barham Salih, who is known to have a warm relationship with the Iranians, has become president, the ties between Iraq’s Kurds and Iran is expected to become stronger in the future and to a certain level deviate away from Washington.”

Relation with Iraq will lessen U.S pressures on Iran

“Lessening the pressure of U.S. sanctions certainly is one of the major goals for Iran to be achieved through this visit. While it can’t bypass the sanctions entirely, Iraq will serve as the main breathing space for Iran that would otherwise be under huge pressure from the U.S. The Americans frown over the role Iraq is playing in the sanctions against Iran but they also understand the realities on the ground that is dictated by the historical and nuanced relationship with Iran on the social, economic, and political levels,” he further noted.

The expert went on to add that the U.S. can’t do as much as it would do about the developing relationship between Iraq and Iran especially after the blunder of Trump’s secret visit, which cost the U.S. important leverage that Iran happily took over. I believe that to a significant level the U.S. officials realize than when it comes to problems with Iran, Iraq can’t be used as much as it used to be without risking to undo the complicated balance between the U.S. and Iran in the region.

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