Iraqi PM in Tehran to after Iran Border Attacks

A Kurdish flag is pictured amid the destruction caused by a reported Iranian rocket attack near town city of Altun Kupri (Perdi), north of Kirkuk, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on November 23, 2022. (AFP)
A Kurdish flag is pictured amid the destruction caused by a reported Iranian rocket attack near town city of Altun Kupri (Perdi), north of Kirkuk, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on November 23, 2022. (AFP)
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Iraqi PM in Tehran to after Iran Border Attacks

A Kurdish flag is pictured amid the destruction caused by a reported Iranian rocket attack near town city of Altun Kupri (Perdi), north of Kirkuk, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on November 23, 2022. (AFP)
A Kurdish flag is pictured amid the destruction caused by a reported Iranian rocket attack near town city of Altun Kupri (Perdi), north of Kirkuk, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, on November 23, 2022. (AFP)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani will kick off on Tuesday a visit to Tehran in an attempt to contain tensions in wake of Iran’s attacks on Kurdish opposition groups in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry said the PM is visiting at the invitation of President Ebrahim Raisi.

Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the visit aims to “follow up on the bilateral dialogue over economic, trade and political issues.”

The two parties will discuss issues related to water and the border and the Iranian strikes on northern Iraq, he went on to say.

“We hope the visit will help develop bilateral relations between the countries,” he added.

Iran launched cross-border strikes against Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq on November 21, killing at least one fighter, a week after similar attacks on the factions Tehran accuses of stoking protests back home.

Iran has been shaken by two months of protests sparked by the death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, 22, who died in custody days after her arrest by the morality police for allegedly breaching the country’s strict dress code for women.

Observers believe Sudani’s visit is being held at a time of mounting tensions between Baghdad and Tehran over the intense Iranian attacks.

A day before the PM’s trip, Baghdad and Erbil – the capital of the Kurdistan Region – had taken a joint approach in handling this sensitive file. Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani had paid two visits to Baghdad over the past week to address the situation.

An agreement was reached for the federal government to oversee the border through joint cooperation between the Iraqi forces and the Kurdish Peshmerga - the first time they work together since 2003.

Sudani is expected to discuss with Iranian officials efforts to control the border between their countries and curb the movement of Iranian opposition groups that have taken up the mountainous regions in the Kurdistan Region as a safe haven.

Head of the Center for Political Thinking in Iraq Dr. Ihssan Shmary told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sudani’s visit is part of protocol in Iran after a new prime minister takes office in Baghdad.

The visit will also seek to consolidate the balance in Iraq’s foreign relations, which is an approach that has been adopted by previous governments, he added.

This time, however, the government is dominated by the pro-Iran Coordination Framework that is still seeking these balanced ties, he stated.

Sudani is visiting Iran after trips to Jordan and Kuwait.

The timing of the Tehran visit is significant given Iran’s attacks against the Kurdish groups, continued Shmary.

Sudani wants to achieve balance in relations and reassure decision-makers in Iran, especially in wake of the great openness shown by Washington towards Baghdad, he noted.

It appears as though the United States is completely open to Iraq and Sudani will seek to avoid provoking Tehran, meaning he will attempt to keep Baghdad at an equal distance between Washington and Tehran, explained Shmary.



Gaza Ceasefire Talks Held Up by Israel Withdrawal Plans

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
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Gaza Ceasefire Talks Held Up by Israel Withdrawal Plans

Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Smoke rises to the sky following an Israeli army bombardment in the northern Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, Thursday, July 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Indirect talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza are being held up by Israel's proposals to keep troops in the territory, two Palestinian sources with knowledge of the discussions told AFP on Saturday.

Delegations from both sides began discussions in Qatar last Sunday to try to agree on a temporary halt to the 21-month conflict sparked by Hamas's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Both Hamas and Israel have said that 10 living hostages who were taken that day and are still in captivity would be released if an agreement for a 60-day ceasefire were reached, reported Reuters.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he hoped to clinch a deal "in a few days", which could then lead to talks for a more permanent end to hostilities.

But one Palestinian source, speaking anonymously due to the sensitivity of the talks, said Israel's refusal to accept Hamas's demand to withdraw all of its troops from Gaza was holding back progress.

Another said mediators had asked both sides to postpone the talks until the arrival of US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, in Doha.

"The negotiations in Doha are facing a setback and complex difficulties due to Israel's insistence, as of Friday, on presenting a map of withdrawal, which is actually a map of redeployment and repositioning of the Israeli army rather than a genuine withdrawal," one Palestinian source said.

The source said Israel was proposing to maintain military forces in more than 40 percent of the Palestinian territory, forcing hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians into a small area near the city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, they added.

"Hamas's delegation will not accept the Israeli maps... as they essentially legitimize the reoccupation of approximately half of the Gaza Strip and turn Gaza into isolated zones with no crossings or freedom of movement," the source said.

A second Palestinian source accused the Israeli delegation of having no authority, and "stalling and obstructing the agreement in order to continue the war of extermination".

- Latest strikes -

The Gaza war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in the deaths of at least 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Of the 251 hostages seized, 49 are still being held, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

At least 57,823 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, have been killed since the start of the war, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Gaza's civil defense agency said at least 14 Palestinians were killed in the latest wave of Israeli strikes across the territory on Saturday.

More than 30 people were killed on Friday, including 10 people who were waiting for aid handouts, the agency said.

The Israeli military on Saturday said it had attacked "approximately 250 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip" in the last 48 hours.

Targets included "terrorists, booby-trapped structures, weapons storage facilities, anti-tank missile launch posts, sniper posts, tunnels and additional terrorist infrastructure sites", it added.

Two previous ceasefires -- a week-long truce beginning in late November 2023 and a two-month one from mid-January this year -- led to the release of 105 hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The second Palestinian source said "some progress" had been made in the latest talks on plans for releasing Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and getting more aid to Gaza.

Netanyahu, who is under domestic and international pressure to end the war, said this week that neutralizing Hamas as a security threat was a prerequisite for any long-term ceasefire talks.

That included the group giving up weapons, he said, warning that failure to do so would mean Israel would have to do so by force.