Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan in Baghdad, in an effort to resolve strained bilateral relations following deadly cross-border airstrikes earlier last month.
The Iraqi Prime Minister's office said that during the meeting on Friday (August 14), Al-Humaidan renewed the invitation for Prime Minister al-Zaidi to visit Riyadh, after al-Zaidi's previously scheduled trip was canceled in protest against the joint Saudi-U.S. airstrikes on July 29, which killed 20 fighters from Iraqi armed groups, including five Iranians.
Al-Zaidi's office said the two sides focused discussions on how Baghdad and Riyadh can better coordinate on security issues amid rising regional tensions.
Al-Zaidi reiterated his commitment that Iraqi territory will not become a launchpad for attacks against any other country, while affirming Baghdad's determination to protect its sovereignty.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries have experienced several tense weeks. Saudi Arabia justified the airstrikes on Iraq last month as retaliation for drone attacks on its oil infrastructure, which Riyadh attributed to Iranian-backed Iraqi armed groups.
Iraq's National Security Council completely rejected Saudi allegations, viewing the campaign as a violation of national sovereignty. In the following days, Iraqi authorities quietly tightened security nationwide and along the border to prevent retaliatory actions.
The Islamic Resistance Movement in Iraq – a network of Iranian-linked armed groups that has had open tensions with Riyadh in recent weeks – announced it would retaliate for the U.S.-Saudi airstrikes. However, the movement announced on Friday that it postponed the retaliatory attack, attributing the decision to efforts by Hadi al-Amiri, one of the most influential pro-Iranian voices in Iraq, along with pressure from other unnamed political figures. The group did not specify what targets it had prepared to strike.
Al-Zaidi, who took office earlier this year with Washington's backing, has pledged to bring armed groups under state control and set a deadline for disarmament by September 30, but the call has faced opposition from influential factions.
Iraq has long struggled to balance relations with both the United States and Iran. The competition between Washington and Tehran has repeatedly turned the country into a proxy battleground.
