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Iraq, Oman Call for Halt to the Spread of Regional Conflict

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani at Al-Hosn Palace (Oman News Agency)
Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani at Al-Hosn Palace (Oman News Agency)
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Iraq, Oman Call for Halt to the Spread of Regional Conflict

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani at Al-Hosn Palace (Oman News Agency)
Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tariq welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani at Al-Hosn Palace (Oman News Agency)

Iraq and Oman signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) covering multiple sectors during Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani’s visit to Muscat, as both countries emphasized the need to halt the spread of conflict in the region.

Al-Sudani met Sultan Haitham bin Tariq at Al-Hosn Palace in Salalah on Wednesday. In a statement from his office, the Iraqi premier said he stressed Baghdad’s desire to strengthen bilateral ties and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to contributing to regional stability.

Al-Sudani praised Oman’s stance advocating an end to aggression and the promotion of stability, while Sultan Haitham highlighted Muscat’s intent to expand cooperation with Iraq across all sectors. He instructed Omani ministers to translate the MoUs into concrete, collaborative projects.

The Omani ruler also expressed support for Iraq’s regional initiatives, commending Baghdad’s efforts to curb the spread of conflict and consolidate peace in the region.

According to Oman News Agency, the two leaders “reviewed avenues for cooperation and partnership in diverse fields, particularly energy and investment, with the aim of benefiting the peoples of both countries.”

A senior Iraqi diplomatic source told Asharq Al-Awsat that Al-Sudani’s visit was part of Iraq’s effort to chart a new course in regional diplomacy, aiming to lower tensions in consultation with regional and international partners.

Bilateral relations between Baghdad and Muscat have remained largely unaffected since 2003, despite Iraq’s shifting geopolitical landscape. Both governments have sought to enhance partnerships through the Iraq-Oman Joint Committee, which last met in Baghdad in 2024.

Expanding a Multi-Sector Partnership

Ahead of his departure from Baghdad, Al-Sudani told reporters that preparatory meetings had paved the way for MoUs in energy, tourism, oil storage and refining, industry and defense localization, maritime transport and port management, scientific research, education, tax avoidance, urban planning, housing, youth and sports, trade, export development, competition promotion, and anti-monopoly measures.

Since taking office, the Iraqi government has focused on strengthening ties with neighboring states through bilateral and multi-polar partnerships and productive diplomacy, Al-Sudani said, praising Oman’s consistent official and public support for Iraq during times of challenge.

He added that Iraq is enjoying a period of relative stability, clear regional positions, urban and economic development, and is keen to involve Oman and other Arab countries in long-term investment and development partnerships.

Sources familiar with the visit said discussions in Muscat would also address regional security and ways to prevent war between Iran and Israel amid ongoing tensions. Iraqi officials are particularly concerned about the potential impact of any new regional conflict on the upcoming elections scheduled for Nov. 11.

Iranian Envoy Visits Baghdad Amid Regional Tensions

Meanwhile, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit, meeting Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and National Security Adviser Qasim Al-Araji.

According to sources, Khatibzadeh discussed regional developments following the recent 12-day conflict with Israel, underscoring threats posed by Israel and the United States and calling for joint measures to address shared risks facing Iran and Iraq.

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Arab World

US Increases its Pressure on Iran in Iraq

Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency
Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency
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US Increases its Pressure on Iran in Iraq

Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency
Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency

US pressure over Iranian influence in Iraq is increasing amid consultations to form a new government and messages from Washington affirming its willingness to use “the full range of tools” to counter what it describes as “Iran’s destabilizing activities.”

US Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris confirmed during a meeting on Thursday with Abdul Hussein Al-Mousawi, head of the National Approach Alliance, that any Iraqi government “should remain fully independent and focused on advancing the national interests of all Iraqis.”

A US embassy statement said the meeting addressed the importance of a strong partnership between the United States and Iraq that delivers “tangible benefits” for both sides within the framework of safeguarding Iraqi sovereignty, bolstering regional stability, and strengthening economic ties.

Harris stressed his country’s readiness “to use the full range of tools to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in Iraq,” a statement seen as a dual message directed at forces linked to Tehran and at blocs engaged in government formation negotiations.

The media office of the National Approach Alliance, which is part of the Coordination Framework, stated that the meeting discussed the latest developments in Iraq and the region, and ways to strengthen bilateral relations “in line with the principle of mutual sovereign respect and shared interests.”

It also addressed consultations among political parties to abide by constitutional mechanisms and the results of elections.

Both sides stressed the importance of ensuring the success of negotiations between the US and Iran in a way that contributes to de-escalation and the adoption of dialogue.

Last month, US President Donald Trump warned Iraq over a reinstatement of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister, saying that the country “descended into poverty and total chaos” under his previous leadership.

“That should not be allowed to happen again” Trump wrote on social media.

Al-Maliki, who has long-standing ties to Iran, dismissed Trump’s threat as “blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs,” and vowed to “continue to work until we reach the end.”

The Coordination Framework, which holds a parliamentary majority, has named al-Maliki to serve again as Iraq’s prime minister, citing his “political and administrative experience and role in managing the state.”

Arab World

German Parliament Speaker Visits Gaza

Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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German Parliament Speaker Visits Gaza

Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

The speaker of Germany's lower house of parliament briefly visited the Israeli-controlled part of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the body told AFP.

Julia Kloeckner spent "about an hour in the part of Gaza controlled by Israeli army forces", parliament said, becoming the first German official to visit the territory since Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked the devastating war.

Since the start of the conflict, Israel has drastically restricted access to the densely populated coastal strip.

In a statement shared by her office, Kloeckner said it was essential for politicians to have access to "reliable assessments of the situation" in Gaza.

"I expressly welcome the fact that Israel has now, for the first time, granted me, a parliamentary observer, access to the Gaza Strip," she said.

However, she was only able to gain a "limited insight" into the situation on the ground during her trip, she said.

Kloeckner appealed to Israel to "continue on this path of openness" and emphasised that the so-called yellow line, which designates Israeli military zones inside the Gaza Strip, must "not become a permanent barrier".

Contacted by AFP, the German foreign ministry said it would "not comment on travel plans or trips by other constitutional bodies that wish to assess the situation on the ground".

Germany has been one of Israel's staunchest supporters as the European power seeks to atone for the legacy of the Holocaust.

But in recent months, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has occasionally delivered sharp critiques of Israeli policy as German public opinion turns against Israel's actions in Gaza.

In August, Germany imposed a partial arms embargo on Israel, which was lifted in November after the announcement of what has proved to be a fragile ceasefire for Gaza.

Merz visited Israel in December and reaffirmed Germany's support.

But in a sign of lingering tension, Germany's foreign ministry on Wednesday criticized Israeli plans to tighten control over the occupied West Bank as a step toward "de facto annexation".

Arab World

Syria Says its Forces Have Taken over al-Tanf Base after a Handover from the US

FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)
FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)
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Syria Says its Forces Have Taken over al-Tanf Base after a Handover from the US

FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)
FILE: Members of the Maghawir al-Thawra Syrian opposition group receive firearms training from US Army Special Forces soldiers at the al-Tanf military outpost in southern Syria in 2018. (AP/Lolita Baldor)

Syrian government forces have taken control of a base in the east of the country that was run for years by US troops as part of the war against the ISIS group, the Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday.

The al-Tanf base sits on a strategic location, close to the borders with Jordan and Iraq. In a terse statement, the Syrian Defense Ministry said the handover of the base took place in coordination with the US military and Syrian forces are now “securing the base and its perimeters.”

The US military did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press regarding the Syrian statement.

The Syrian Defense Ministry also said that Syrian troops are now in place in the desert area around the al-Tanf garrison, with border guards to deploy in the coming days.

The deployment of Syrian troops at al-Tanf and in the surrounding areas comes after last month’s deal between the government and the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, to merge into the military.

Al-Tanf garrison was repeatedly attacked over the past years with drones by Iran-backed groups but such attacks have dropped sharply following the fall of Bashar Assad’s government in Syria in December 2024.

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has been expanding his control of the country, and last month government forces captured wide parts of northeast Syria after deadly clashes with the SDF. A ceasefire was later reached between the two sides.

Al-Tanf base played a major role in the fight against the ISIS group that declared a caliphate in large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014. ISIS was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria two years later.

Over the past weeks, the US military began transferring thousands of ISIS prisoners from prisons run by the SDF in northeastern Syria to Iraq, where they will be prosecuted.

The number of US troops posted in Syria has changed over the years.

The number of US troops increased to more than 2,000 after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas in Israel, as Iranian-backed militants targeted American troops and interests in the region in response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

The force has since been drawn back down to around 900.