Syria FM’s Visit to Iraq Paves Way for New Chapter in Ties

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 14, 2025. (Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 14, 2025. (Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via Reuters)
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Syria FM’s Visit to Iraq Paves Way for New Chapter in Ties

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 14, 2025. (Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via Reuters)
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, in Baghdad, Iraq, March 14, 2025. (Iraqi Prime Minister Media Office/Handout via Reuters)

Iraqi observers have said that Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani's recent visit to Baghdad will open a new chapter in relations between the neighbors following weeks of “wariness” in wake of the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December.

Shaibani’s visit was warmly welcomed by Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.

The Syrian official did not meet with leaders of the pro-Iran ruling Coordination Framework who are viewing new Syria warily. In the open, they did not express reservations over the visit, while in closed circles, they welcomed it.

Armed groups loyal to Iran, however, have expressed their opposition to Shaibani’s visit. While they did not issue statements in protest, they made their positions clear on social media, while some of their supporters held small rallies in Baghdad and Basra.

Iran was a staunch supporter of the Assad regime.

Former aide to the prime minister Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie said Shaibani’s visit is important for deepening ties between Syria and Iraq and underlines al-Sudani's desire to be open to Damascus.

In a post on the X platform, he remarked that the “wise” leaders in the Coordination Framework have prioritized Iraq’s interests and have “responsibly” viewed the developments in Syria and refrained from making any rash statements.

Former diplomat Dr. Ghazi Faisal said the visit marks a “qualitative shift” in relations between the neighbors.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraq must develop and expand investments in Syria and work on building close relations with it.

“As for its political system, that is tied to the will of the Syrian people and their right to determine their fate,” he added.

Moreover, he noted the formation of a joint operations room between Damascus and Baghdad to combat the ISIS terrorist group, which could help achieve rapprochement between them.

Iraq must be “realistic” in its relations with neighbors, he went on to say. It must adopt “strategic openness” and cooperate in water and security areas, and combat terrorism.

Professor of strategic studies at Baghdad University Ihssan Shmary said Shaibani’s visit was a “test to Baghdad and Damascus” that will help shape relations between them.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the visit is significant given the Iraqi government’s criticism of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group - whose leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is now interim president of Syria - shortly before Assad’s ouster.

However, it now appears that the government wants to open a new chapter in relations with Syria, he stated.

He stressed the need to follow up on the visit and “build on its outcomes”, including the formation of a joint cooperation council.

Furthermore, Shmary said Iran’s influence must not be ignored when it comes to relations between Baghdad and Damascus, especially after Tehran’s allies showed clear opposition to the development of relations with the new rulers in Syria.



Trump Warns Iran It Will Face ‘Consequences’ of Further Attacks from Yemen’s Houthis

A man inspects the rubble of a house hit by a US strike on the weekend in Yemen's northern Saada province on March 17, 2025. (AFP)
A man inspects the rubble of a house hit by a US strike on the weekend in Yemen's northern Saada province on March 17, 2025. (AFP)
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Trump Warns Iran It Will Face ‘Consequences’ of Further Attacks from Yemen’s Houthis

A man inspects the rubble of a house hit by a US strike on the weekend in Yemen's northern Saada province on March 17, 2025. (AFP)
A man inspects the rubble of a house hit by a US strike on the weekend in Yemen's northern Saada province on March 17, 2025. (AFP)

US President Donald Trump on Monday explicitly linked the actions of Yemen's Houthi militias to their main benefactor, Iran, warning Tehran would “suffer the consequences” for further attacks by the militants.

The comments by Trump on his Truth Social website escalate his administration's new campaign of airstrikes targeting the militias, which killed at least 53 people this weekend alone and appear poised to continue. Meanwhile, Iran continues to weigh how to respond to a letter Trump sent them last week trying to jump-start negotiations over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.

Houthi supporters themselves rallied in several cities Monday after the strikes, vowing revenge against America and Israel over blocking aid to the Gaza Strip after its war on Hamas there.

“The Yemeni position is an irreversible position (regarding Gaza), so do whatever you (Americans) want, for we are men who fear no one but God," said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a Houthi leader who spoke to the demonstration in Yemen's Houthi-held capital, Sanaa.

Describing the Houthis as “sinister mobsters and thugs,” Trump warned any attack by the militias would be met with “great force, and there is no guarantee that that force will stop there.”

“Iran has played ‘the innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control,” Trump alleged in his post. “They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, 'Intelligence.'”

It's unclear what sparked Trump's post. However, the head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard sought to separate the Houthis' actions from those of Tehran this weekend. The Houthis also launched drones and missiles targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, though none reached the ship as it continues flight operations in the region.

Iran did not immediately comment on the post.

“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire!” Trump added.

The Houthis attacked over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors, from November 2023 until January this year when a ceasefire began in Gaza.

The Houthis claimed there had been additional US airstrikes overnight, though American officials did not immediately acknowledge them.

World Food Program warehouse raided by Houthis

In Saada province, the Houthis' stronghold, the militias raided a warehouse run by the World Food Program. A member of Yemen's legitimate government first reported the Houthis had been taking supplies from the facility without the WFP's permission in the aftermath of the US airstrikes. The United Nations agency later acknowledged the Houthis' actions to The Associated Press.

“WFP regrets the de facto authorities' decision to seize some of the commodities,” it said. “These commodities were intended for the most vulnerable food-insecure families. Only WFP and its partners have the authority to distribute them and ensure they reach the intended recipients.”

Yemen, at war since the Houthis seized Sanaa back in 2014, has been on the precipice of famine for years. But the UN in February suspended its operations in Saada over security concerns following the detentions by the Houthis of dozens of UN workers and others in recent months. A day later, the WFP announced one of its staffers died while imprisoned by the Houthis.