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Kadhimi’s Orders Require Ghaani to Obtain Visa to Visit Baghdad

Iraqi President Barham Salih upon receiving the Iranian delegation in Baghdad on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 (Iraqi Presidency)
Iraqi President Barham Salih upon receiving the Iranian delegation in Baghdad on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 (Iraqi Presidency)
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Kadhimi’s Orders Require Ghaani to Obtain Visa to Visit Baghdad

Iraqi President Barham Salih upon receiving the Iranian delegation in Baghdad on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 (Iraqi Presidency)
Iraqi President Barham Salih upon receiving the Iranian delegation in Baghdad on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 (Iraqi Presidency)

Commander of Iran’s Quds Force Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani arrived on Wednesday in Baghdad as part of an official delegation from Iran.

According to Iraqi sources, Ghaani’s visit was the first announced upon an official visa he had obtained from Iraq’s Foreign Ministry due to “strict orders” by Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

Iranian figures, especially leaders of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, used to make unannounced visits to Iraq.

However, Kadhimi issued orders stipulating that all foreign officials, including political and military figures from all countries, should obtain official visas and visit Baghdad as official delegations, sources affirmed.

An Iranian delegation arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, headed by Energy Minister Reza Ardakanian, and met with senior Iraqi officials, including President Barham Salih.

Salih stressed during his meeting with Ardakanian on the importance of joint coordination and bilateral cooperation, especially in the electricity and water sectors.

This would “attain development and prosperity for the two neighboring peoples,” a presidential statement read.

According to the statement, Salih also highlighted joint efforts among all to address the complex situations in the region and achieve security and stability for the peoples.

Ardakanian, for his part, reiterated his country's readiness to continue to cooperate and support Iraq in all fields.

He said Iran is highly interested in investing in the energy sector, expanding electricity networks and exchanging experiences.

Meanwhile, Baghdad is preparing to hold the first comprehensive strategic dialogue with the United States after signing the security and strategic framework agreements in 2008.

Talks are expected to take place by teleconference between both delegations and at the level of ambassadors, under the supervision of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Member of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee MP Alaa Talabani said in press statements that the proposal to define bilateral relations was submitted after killing the Iranian General, Qassem Soleimani, in a US raid on January 3 and Iraqi parliament’s decision to withdraw US troops from its territory.

“US-Iraqi talks will discuss defining relations in the field of security, trade, and the US presence in Iraq.”

She also affirmed that the Kurdistan region will participate in these crucial negotiations that will determine Iraq’s national security path.

“Baghdad and Washington will hold preliminary discussions led by the Undersecretary of the US State Department from the US side and Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Abdul Karim Hashem from the Iraqi side,” Chairman of Iraq’s Advisory Council Farhad Alaaldin told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The US negotiating delegation will include representatives of the departments of defense, energy, economy, and other US institutions, while the Iraqi premier’s advisers and security and military figures will take part in the scheduled talks, he noted.

Alaaldin pointed out that talks will focus in general on bilateral ties, and each side will determine the subjects of discussion to be scheduled for another meeting after Kadhimi completes his government formation.

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Israeli Military Changes Initial Account of Gaza Aid Worker Killings

Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
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Israeli Military Changes Initial Account of Gaza Aid Worker Killings

Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)
Palestinians mourn medics, who came under Israeli fire while on a rescue mission, after their bodies were recovered, according to the Red Crescent, at Nasser hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 31, 2025. (Reuters)

The Israeli military has provided new details that changed its initial account of the killing of 15 emergency workers near the southern Gaza city of Rafah last month but said investigators were still examining the evidence.

The 15 paramedics and emergency responders were shot dead on March 23 and buried in a shallow grave where their bodies were found a week later by officials from the United Nations and the Palestinian Red Crescent. Another man is still missing.

The military initially said soldiers had opened fire on vehicles that approached their position "suspiciously" in the dark without lights or markings. It said they killed nine fighters from Hamas and Islamic Jihad who were travelling in Palestinian Red Crescent vehicles.

But video recovered from the mobile phone of one of the dead men and published by the Palestinian Red Crescent showed emergency workers in their uniforms and clearly marked ambulances and fire trucks, with their lights on, being fired on by soldiers.

The only known survivor of the incident, Palestinian Red Crescent paramedic Munther Abed, also said he had seen soldiers opening fire on clearly marked emergency response vehicles.

An Israeli military official said late on Saturday the investigators were examining the video and conclusions were expected to be presented to army commanders on Sunday.

Israeli media briefed by the military reported that troops had identified at least six of the 15 dead as members of the groups. However, the official declined to provide any evidence or detail of how the identifications were made, saying he did not want to share classified information.

"According to our information, there were terrorists there but this investigation is not over," he told reporters at the briefing late on Saturday.

The UN and the Palestinian Red Cross have demanded an independent inquiry into the killing of the paramedics.

Red Crescent officials have said 17 paramedics and emergency workers from the Red Crescent, the Civil Emergency service and the UN had been dispatched to respond to reports of injuries from Israeli air strikes.

Apart from Abed, who was detained for several hours before being released, another worker is still missing.

OPENED FIRE

The military official said initial findings from the investigation showed troops had opened fire on a vehicle at around 4 a.m., killing two members of the Hamas internal security forces, and taking another prisoner, who the official said had admitted under interrogation to being in Hamas.

As time passed, several vehicles passed along the road until, at around 6 a.m., he said troops received word from aerial surveillance that a suspicious group of vehicles was approaching.

"They feel this is another incident like what happened at 4 a.m. and they opened fire," the official said.

He said aerial surveillance footage showed the troops were at some distance when they opened fire, and he denied reports that the troops handcuffed at least some of the paramedics and shot them at close range.

"It's not from close. They opened fire from afar," he said. "There's no mistreatment of the people there."

He said the soldiers had approached the group they had shot, identifying at least some of them as fighters. However, he did not explain what evidence had prompted the assessment.

"And in their eyes, they had an encounter with terrorists, that is a successful encounter with terrorists."

He said the troops had informed the UN of the incident on the same day and initially covered the bodies with camouflage netting until they could be recovered. UN officials did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

"There was no incident where the Israeli army tried to cover up. On the contrary, they called the UN immediately."

Later, when the UN did not immediately come to take the bodies, the soldiers covered them with sand to stop animals from getting at them, the official said.

He said the vehicles were pushed out of the way by a heavy engineering vehicle to clear the road but he could not explain why the vehicles were crushed by the engineering vehicle and then buried.