Iran security chief meets officials in Iraq before Lebanon visit
Ali Larijani’s first foreign trip since being appointed comes after a war with Israel and recent strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities
Ali Larijani, the head of Iran’s top security body, met senior officials in Iraq on Monday, ahead of a visit to Lebanon, where the government plans to disarm the Tehran-backed group Hezbollah.
Tehran has suffered a series of blows in its long-running rivalry with Israel, including during 12 days of open war between the two countries in June.
Israel, briefly joined by the United States, struck Iranian nuclear facilities, while Israel has also devastated Hamas and Hezbollah since late 2023 – both part of Tehran’s anti-Israel “axis of resistance”.
Iranian state television said Larijani, the head of the National Security Council, had departed on a three-day trip, his first since being appointed.
The visit to Baghdad comes amid deep divisions in Iraq over a proposed law that would further formalise the role and, possibly, the autonomy of a powerful coalition of pro-Iran former paramilitaries.
Iranian state television said Larijani signed a “joint security memorandum of understanding” with Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji.