TEHRAN- Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, August 19, for talks aimed at strengthening Tehran-Baghdad ties, with regional security, economic cooperation and the future of the region high on the agenda. His visit comes as Tehran continues to reject increased US pressure and insists that any negotiations with Washington must remain within the framework of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding.

Qalibaf left Tehran for Baghdad on Wednesday, at the head of a high-level parliamentary delegation. The visit was announced as an opportunity to discuss bilateral relations, border security, counterterrorism, economic cooperation and regional developments. Iranian officials have also described closer coordination with Iraq as increasingly important amid 'the emergence of a new regional order.'

Upon arriving in Baghdad on Wednesday morning, Qalibaf was received by Iraqi officials before heading to the site where Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps  Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a senior Iraqi commander, were killed in a US drone strike in January 2020.

Qalibaf said he was beginning his visit at the site where the two commanders were killed, describing Soleimani and al-Muhandis as figures who had played a major role in confronting the threat posed by Islamic State militants in Iraq and the wider region.

He said the killing of the two commanders had failed to 'end the influence of the resistance movement,' arguing that developments in the region demonstrated that its influence remained significant.

The remarks came against the backdrop of Qalibaf's increasingly pointed criticism of Washington. Shortly before leaving for Iraq, he said the United States could not secure concessions from Tehran by increasing economic and political pressure.

 The Americans think that by squeezing Iran harder they can win concessions that were never part of the agreement,  Qalibaf said in a post on X, referring to the Islamabad memorandum. He also dismissed recent statements by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and War Secretary Pete Hegseth, using sharp language to argue that Washington could not resolve the crisis through additional pressure. 

The Islamabad memorandum has become a central reference point in Tehran's current position toward Washington.

Iranian officials have repeatedly argued that any further diplomatic process must be based on commitments already set out in the understanding rather than on new US demands.

Qalibaf's visit therefore carries significance beyond parliamentary diplomacy. Iraq has traditionally maintained close political, economic and security links with Iran while simultaneously seeking to preserve relations with Washington and other regional powers. Baghdad's position gives it a potentially important role in regional diplomacy at a time when Tehran is seeking greater coordination with neighboring countries.

During his first hours in Baghdad, Qalibaf met Iraqi Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi at the Iraqi parliament. The two sides discussed bilateral issues before holding a private meeting. The Iranian delegation also met with Iraqi lawmakers. 

Qalibaf subsequently met Iraqi President Nizar Mohammed Saeed Amedi. The meetings formed part of a broader schedule of talks with senior Iraqi political figures and officials on bilateral and regional issues.
Before departing Tehran, Qalibaf said the delegation would seek to expand cooperation in political, economic, cultural, social and security fields. He also highlighted the implementation of existing agreements and the expansion of economic ties between the two neighbors.

Economic relations are particularly significant for both countries. Iraq has been one of Iran's major trading partners, while the two governments have in recent months emphasized transportation, border cooperation, energy and broader economic connectivity as areas with potential for expansion.

The visit also comes after a series of high-level contacts between Tehran and Baghdad. During Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi's July visit to Tehran, Iran and Iraq signed an agreement on international road freight transport and several memorandums of understanding, including one concerning the proposed Kermanshah Khosravi Khanqin Baghdad railway connection. 

United States was seeking an  honorable exit  from the region 

Qalibaf has described relations between the Iranian and Iraqi peoples as  historical and unbreakable,  saying the relationship was shaped by solidarity during difficult periods, resistance to foreign interference and a shared regional destiny.

In a separate message during his visit, he argued that the role of outside powers in shaping relations among regional countries was declining. He said the United States was seeking an  honorable exit  from the region and argued that the regional balance was moving toward greater independence from foreign intervention.

His comments reflect a broader position increasingly voiced by Iranian officials in recent weeks: that the security architecture of West Asia should be shaped primarily by regional states rather than by external military powers.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made a similar argument on Tuesday, saying the recent 40-day war had changed the way regional countries viewed the security structure of West Asia. He argued that foreign forces and military bases had failed to provide security and had instead become a source of instability.

The Iraqi side, meanwhile, has emphasized the importance of maintaining Iraq's sovereignty and avoiding its involvement in regional conflicts. Iraqi Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi has previously called for Iraq to remain a platform for stability, dialogue and cooperation rather than a battleground for regional and international disputes.

That position gives Qalibaf's visit an additional dimension. While Tehran wants deeper strategic coordination with Baghdad, Iraq has its own interest in preventing confrontation between Iran and the United States from spilling further onto Iraqi territory. This is a case that Iranian officials have repeatedly emphasized in their statements.

Qalibaf is also scheduled to travel to Karbala, where he will attend a ceremony marking the 40th day since the funeral of Iran's late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. 

The visit has received significant attention in Iraqi media, with coverage focusing on Qalibaf's meetings with senior Iraqi officials and the broader question of Tehran-Baghdad coordination over regional developments. Iranian media have likewise framed the trip as part of efforts to consolidate bilateral ties and promote greater regional coordination. 

For Tehran, the message from Baghdad is therefore twofold: Iran intends to deepen relations with its most strategically important Arab neighbor while maintaining a firm position against 'attempts by Washington to extract additional concessions through pressure.'

The outcome of Qalibaf's meetings could offer an indication of how the two neighbors intend to navigate that balance as regional powers seek to shape a new political and security order in West Asia.