Al-Zaidi to pursue gas, de-escalation during Tehran visit

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi will seek to easetensions between Iran and the United States, secure continued Iranian gassupplies, and strengthen bilateral ties during a two-day visit to Tehranbeginning July 23, a government source told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

Al-Zaidi’s meetings with Iranian leaders will focus onefforts to narrow the divide between Tehran and Washington while advancinginitiatives intended to benefit countries across the region.

Energy security will feature prominently in the talks,according to the source, with the prime minister expected to stress the needfor uninterrupted Iranian natural gas supplies as US-based General Electricproceeds with Iraq’s nationwide electricity development plan. Officials willalso discuss a sovereign guarantee proposed by Baghdad to ensure signedprojects and contracts remain valid regardless of future changes in government,a step intended to reassure investors in the energy and services sectors.

The visit, the source noted, is scheduled during “atemporary lull” in hostilities between the US and Iran, allowing the delegationto travel to and from Tehran.

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday thatpreparations were in their final stages, including several memorandums ofunderstanding covering bilateral cooperation. The trip follows Al-Zaidi’s firstofficial visit to Washington, where Iraq and the United States launched a broadinvestment partnership, and comes at the invitation of Iranian President MasoudPezeshkian, who extended it during his recent visit to Iraq.

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