Iran's Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf Visits Baghdad as Iraq Seeks Hormuz Trading Relief

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf arrived in Baghdad on August 19, 2026 for a three-day official visit, opening with a press conference at the memorial site for Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis before meeting Iraqi Parliament Speaker Haibat al-Halbousi and touring Najaf and Karbala. Discussions centered on expanding Iran-Iraq economic cooperation and, notably, an Iraqi request for special arrangements to move Iraqi crude through the Iran-controlled Strait of Hormuz corridor, as Iraq's oil export revenue collapsed from roughly $6.8 billion in February 2026 to about $2.3 billion by June amid the ongoing blockade. The visit came at a sensitive moment, days after Badr's public warning against forced militia disarmament and six weeks before the government's September 30 deadline for Iran-aligned factions to surrender weapons.