ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's foreign minister is set to visit the Iranian capital of Tehran on Monday to discuss the advancement of bilateral ties between the two neighboring countries and meet senior officials in the country.
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein "will discuss with his Iranian counterpart the bilateral relations between the two sides and ways to advance them for the benefit of the two neighboring countries," said Ahmed al-Sahaf, spokesperson for Iraq's foreign ministry.
According to Sahaf, additional topics in Hussein's visit will include discussing "the situation at the regional level, the Iranian-Gulf relations, and the developments of discussions in the Iranian nuclear file."
Hussein’s trip to Iran comes months after he visited the neighboring country in April.
Baghdad and Tehran share strong ties. In July, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian expressed his gratitude to Iraq for playing a key role in mediating regional ties amid an ongoing Iraqi-mediated effort to restore diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Tehran is also a major player in Baghdad's politics and has heavy influence over the country's political situation, as it backs the largest Shiite parliamentary faction - the Coordination Framework - which emerged as the top faction in the parliament following the resignation of prominent Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his 73 MPs from the legislature.
However, Iran often targets Iraqi territory as well.
In March it fired 12 ballistic missiles at the outskirts of the Kurdish capital of Erbil allegedly targeting an Israeli base.
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