🟢 ‘Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi made an unannounced, secret visit to Tehran to meet with Iran’s parliament speaker and chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, in an urgent diplomatic effort to end the ongoing war between Iran and the United States.’
➤ Iraq’s government is balancing relations with Iran, their neighbour, and the pro-Iran Shia elements in the country and the government (while dealing with rogue Iran-backed Shia militias inside Iraq), the GCC Arab states and other regional Arab nations, and the US and the West as a whole.
🛢️Iraqi Oil: Meanwhile, the Iraqi Ministry of Oil has been in talks with Chevron over the Qurna 2 oilfield. This comes as “Iraq works to deepen ties with Western oil companies while its oil exports face disruption from the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz”. — https://lnkd.in/p/g6xDeSN7
🔴Al Jazeera — Iraq’s PM and Iran’s chief negotiator discuss reducing threat of war
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in Tehran on Friday to discuss ways out of the conflict with the United States.
During the meeting, Ghalibaf stressed the need for the US to “respect Iran’s rights” in order for talks to progress, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported.
The Iraqi ambassador to Iran, Yasser Abdul-Zahra al-Hajjaj, told the Iraq News Agency the talks focused on ways to reduce the threat of war in the Middle East.
“Iraq is not on the sidelines of what is unfolding in the region; rather, it is acting proactively in accordance with its supreme national interests,” al-Hajjaj said.
Baghdad is “directing its diplomatic efforts towards de-escalation, preventing further tension, and fostering regional stability”, he added.– https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/11/9/iran-war-live-trump-says-land-blockade-in-effect-drone-cuts-power-in-iraq#:~:text=00%20GMT)-,Iraq%E2%80%99s%20PM%20and%20Iran%E2%80%99s%20chief%20negotiator%20discuss%20reducing%20threat%20of%20war,-Iraqi%20Prime%20Minister
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💢 Qatar’s prime minister is in Washington, DC, to meet US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance with the Middle East on tenterhooks over fears of the war’s imminent resumption.
Iran says it’s impossible to move towards peace unless the US lifts its naval blockade, releases seized assets, and lifts sanctions, accusing Washington of reneging on its commitments.
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💢 In the meantime, the U.S. military said over the weekend that it is launching a task force to aid in cracking down on Tehran’s movement of weapon systems and other illegal items over its land borders and through the Caspian Sea. “Task Force Iron Gate… will be based in Tampa, Florida, and will coordinate with other U.S. government agencies…” — https://www.cnbc.com/2026/11/07/iran-us-task-force-land-commerce.html
–RdM
LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/p/gXX44zyn