Ali Shamkhani, a senior Iranian security official, signed an agreement Sunday in Baghdad to “defend the borders” of Iran and Iraq, where the Iraqi prime minister said Iranian Kurdish opposition groups pursued by Tehran are based. office.

Mr. Shamkhani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme Security Council, signed an agreement with his Iraqi counterpart, Qasem al-Araji, which provides for “coordination in border security” and strengthening “cooperation in various areas related to security,” according to Mohammed Shia al- Sudan press release.

The visit took place on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the US-led coalition invasion of Iraq. Today, relations between Baghdad and Tehran are closer than ever, and Mr. Sudani’s government enjoys support pro-Iranian party alliance in parliament.

But some Western capitals warn against the undue influence in Iraq of its neighbor Iran, which has considered the US its main enemy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, Mr. Shamkhani yesterday cracked down on the “illegal activities” of “counter-revolutionary and terrorist elements in the region (Iraqi Kurdistan) and northern Iraq.”

He stressed that the agreement signed yesterday can “completely and fundamentally put an end to the sinful activities of these organizations.”

In late 2022, Iranian Kurdish opposition groups hiding in northern Iraq came under artillery fire from Iran’s armed forces as Tehran accused them of invading its territory to carry out attacks and encourage anti-government protests.

At the time, the Iraqi government pledged to redeploy a federal border patrol to the region to ease tensions.

At the time, Iran was experiencing a protest movement sparked by the September 16 death of Mahshi Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman who was arrested by the vice police for violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code for women.

Iraq was one of the mediators in Iran’s talks with Saudi Arabia, which broke off diplomatic relations in 2016 and announced they had been restored on March 10. Ali Shamkhani is considered the architect of warming relations on the Iranian side.

According to IRNA, during his visit to Baghdad, Mr. Shamkhani was accompanied by the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, as well as the Deputy Minister of Finance.

Trade exchanges are vital for both countries, especially in the energy sector. Iraq is heavily dependent on gas and electricity supplied by Iran.

Source: RES-IPE