Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’svisit to Iraq comes as Tehran seeks to “reshuffle relations with Iraq,” Dr. Yaron Schneider, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) specializing in Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday. Ghalibaf traveled to Iraq on Wednesday for a three-day visit amid growing tensions over the September 30 deadline for militia disarmament and as Iraq grapples with a severe economic crisis stemming from the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Upon his arrival, he insisted that the two countries needed to strengthen a “new regional order” and denounced “foreign interference.”
On Thursday, he met with the President of the Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq, Faiq Zidan, to discuss “mutual interests,” following talks on Wednesday with senior Iraqi officials on issues including “strengthening bilateral relations, border security, the fight against terrorism, expanding economic cooperation and implementing joint agreements,” according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. The issue of economic cooperation is one that Iran has used to interfere in Baghdad’s domestic policies, Schneider explained.
Iraq’s economy remains heavily reliant on oil, which accounts for 90% of government revenue, 95% of export earnings, and more than 53% of the country’s gross domestic product.“Iraq is heavily reliant on oil exports as the basis of its economy. The government depends on that, and salaries are being delayed because of it. This is a crisis that is still ongoing and might undermine the state if it continues. They don’t have any short-term solution for this crisis,” he said, adding that Iraq’s monthly oil revenues fell from around $7–$8 billion down to $1.2–$1.9 billion. (Read More)
