Iran parliament speaker Ghalibaf to visit Iraq for talks
Iran parliament speaker Ghalibaf to visit Iraq for talks Iran's parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, will travel to Iraq on Wednesday for talks, Iranian media reported. Ghalibaf will head "a high-level parliamentary delegation to discuss regional developments, strengthen strategic cooperation between Tehran and Baghdad and explore joint solutions to contribute to stability and security in the Middle East," Iran's Fars news agency said. The visit comes as Iraq faces pressure from Washington to disarm powerful armed factions in the country supported by Iran. Baghdad has given pro-Iran armed groups until 30 September to disarm. Ghalibaf's visit comes days after a drone attack on the office of the prime minister of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, which Kurdish authorities initially blamed on Tehran. Iran denied involvement, saying the incident was a ploy to undermine bilateral relations. Iran's ISNA news agency reported Tehran's ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammad Kazem al-Sadeq, as saying that Ghalibaf's visit was planned in advance and is scheduled to last two days. Reporting by AFP