Iraq welcomed on Saturday the election of reformist Masoud Pezeshkian as president of Iran.
Officials congratulated him on his victory, calling for bolstering relations. Meanwhile, experts predicted little change in Iran’s policy towards Iraq given the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps’ (IRGC) influence over the file.
Pezeshkian won the runoff election on Saturday, defeating ultraconservative Saeed Jalili.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani congratulated Pezeshkian on his win, wishing him success and stressing the depth of relations between their countries.
He called for maintaining coordination at the highest levels in all fields to serve common interests.
Iraqi President Abdullatif Rashid congratulated Iran on the success of the elections and Pezeshkian on his victory. He stressed his keenness on boosting ties with Tehran.
President of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani offered his congratulations, saying he was looking forward to developing “the old friendship and continuing joint cooperation with Iran based on joint interests and the principle of good neighborliness.”
Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani described Iran as an important neighbor to the Region and Iraq. He also said Erbil was keen on deepening relations with it.
Sudani’s advisor for international affairs Farhad Alaaldin said Pezeshkian’s time in office will be a “natural extension of the presidency of late President Ebrahim Raisi.”
In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said Iraq looks to the “constants” in relations with Iran regardless of the people in power.
Raisi was planning on visiting Baghdad before he died. Iraq is now looking forward to Pezeshkian continuing what his predecessor was working on, he went on to say.
Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei has advised Pezeshkian to follow in Raisi’s footsteps.
Head of the Waey movement Salah al-Arbawi said the victory of a reformist candidate will lead to little change in policy in Iran. However, the election of a Republican American president, with a history with Iran, will lead to several changes in the region, he added in reference to Donald Trump.
Iraq is greatly affected by regional and international developments, he told Asharq Al-Awsat. “The rise of reformists in Iran and Trump’s expected victory is a double-edged sword.”
He added that Iraq does not have a full control over its “sovereign decision-making" and it is usually vulnerable to developments between Iran and the US, which demanded that authorities maintain a policy of disassociation.
Political science professor at the Al-Nahrain University Yassine Bakri said Iran’s foreign policy is shaped by several circles, but Khamenei ultimately has the final say, especially in strategic issues.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the IRGC primarily handles Iraqi affairs. The IRGC works a lot closer to Khamenei than the foreign ministry and president.
So, it doesn’t really matter whether a reformist or hardliner wins the presidency in Iran, he explained.
