He is doing outreach to Russia and Iraq, and he is receiving congratulations on his new position from these countries, as well as Pakistan, and groups such as Hamas. His first steps in this regard will be watched closely.
In one of the first phone calls with a foreign leader, he spoke to the Iraqi president, Abdul Latif Rashid. In Iraq, the president is more of a ceremonial figure than an executive. However, protocol necessitates that the Iranian president speak to his counterpart rather than the Iraqi prime minister who holds the power.
According to Iranian state media, the new Iranian leader “underlined that the extent of political, economic, cultural and religious ties between Iran and Iraq needs no explanation and expressed hope that these relations would be deepened and developed in the new period with the cooperation of the high officials of the two countries.”
The Iraqi president stressed the importance of the ties between the two countries. Once adversaries in the 1980s, Iran now has deep ties in Iraq. Iran even controls part of Iraq through Iranian-backed militias that operate in Iraq. The militias frequently target Israel and US forces. As such, Iran destabilizes Iraq while also working with Iraq. The Iraqi leadership speaks of “friendly and brotherly countries,” but Iran is the much bigger brother in this relationship. READ MORE
