Iranian official landed secretly in Baghdad: The issues causing anxiety for Iran

Quds Force commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Esmail Qaani, arrived in Baghdad at the head of a senior military and security delegation and met with senior officials in the pro-Iranian camp in Iraq and with commanders of armed militias. According to a report by the Iraqi news agency "Shafaq News", the unannounced visit focuses on two particularly sensitive issues for Baghdad: the future of the pro-Iranian militias' weapons and the possibility of allowing Iraq to practically resume its oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

A well-informed source told "Shafaq News" that Qaani held a series of meetings with senior officials in the "Coordination Framework", the central Shiite bloc in Iraq, alongside leaders of the armed factions. Among the participants mentioned in the report is Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Badr Organization. The Saudi channel "Al-Hadath", which cited the Iraqi agency, reported that Qaani also met with other leaders within the Coordination Framework, including former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The discussions are taking place against the backdrop of the Iraqi government's efforts to centralize weapons in the hands of state institutions. The country's main political forces set September 30 as the target date for resolving the issue. At a meeting held by the "State Administration Coalition" on August 5, it was determined that any body that continues to engage in armed activity outside the framework of official institutions and threatens the security of the state will be considered acting outside the law. It was further clarified that after the set date, such activity could be dealt with in accordance with the anti-terrorism law.

However, the militias do not present a unified position. Some of the factions expressed willingness to discuss reorganizing their relations with the state, while others, including "Kata'ib Hezbollah", "Harakat an-Nujaba" and "Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada", refuse to give up their military capabilities. According to "Shafaq News", those organizations link any discussion about handing over weapons to the end of the presence of foreign forces in Iraq and to ensuring protection against external attacks.

Alongside the weapons issue, the visit also deals with the Iraqi oil export crisis. The "Shafaq News" source stated that the parties are examining the possibility of actually allowing Iraq to export its oil through the Strait of Hormuz. This is a matter of critical economic importance for Baghdad, after the crisis in the strait severely damaged the export capacity through the ports of southern Iraq. At the same time, the government is working to expand export alternatives through Turkey, Syria and Jordan, in order to reduce its dependence on the maritime route.

A day earlier, "Shafaq News" reported that a professional Iraqi delegation is expected to arrive in Tehran to discuss energy, gas supplies and securing the passage of Iraqi oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. The current visit highlights how much both issues, state control over weapons and the ability to export oil, are currently intertwined in the sensitive relations between Baghdad and Tehran.