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Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will visit Türkiye and Iran as part of a regional tour, Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said, following Zaidi's first foreign trip as premier to the United States.
Aboudi told reporters that "Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi will soon visit the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Türkiye."
He explained that the visits come as part of the Iraqi government’s program aimed at strengthening Iraq’s relations with neighboring countries and regional and international partners, particularly following the positive outcomes of Zaidi’s official visit to the United States.
According to Iraq's Foreign Ministry, Zaidi is scheduled to visit Iran at the end of this week. His upcoming trip to Tehran will be his first visit to Iran since taking power earlier this year.
Aboudi said both visits are grounded in shared interests and will cover a range of bilateral issues, as well as regional matters in light of ongoing developments, with a focus on efforts to reduce tensions and strengthen security and stability.
He stressed that "there is considerable interest in the role Iraq can play, based on its balanced relations with various parties and the confidence it enjoys, in supporting dialogue and helping ease regional tensions in a way that serves the security and stability of the region."
Regarding the issue of restricting weapons to state control, Aboudi stated that "this is a sovereign Iraqi matter. The Iraqi government has repeatedly affirmed that the issue is being managed in accordance with the Constitution and the law, through an independent national decision, as part of the government’s program to reinforce state sovereignty and strengthen the rule of law."
He added that "this represents a firm government commitment that is being implemented through the competent Iraqi institutions."
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Zaidi's first official trip abroad since taking office on July 13 was to the United States.
He arrived in Washington on July 13 leading a high-level government delegation, in a visit that included talks with U.S. President Donald Trump.
On Friday, the U.S. and Iraq signed 48 agreements, memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and economic cooperation deals, along with a declaration of comprehensive partnership covering the public and private sectors of both countries.
Zaidi returned to Iraq on Sunday after the roughly weeklong visit.
Zaidi took office in May, succeeding Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, following Iraq's November parliamentary elections and months of coalition negotiations.
Reuters described Zaidi as a businessman who has pledged to strengthen Iraq's fragile economy and disarm pro-Iran armed groups that have targeted U.S. facilities in the country.
Washington and Tehran are Iraq's two main allies, with their rivalry having long turned Iraq into a proxy battleground and posed a persistent challenge for successive Iraqi governments seeking to maintain a delicate balance between the two.
The visits come as the U.S. and Iran have traded intensifying attacks in recent days, part of the broader conflict this outlet has covered extensively in recent weeks.
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