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Iraq’s parliament speaker Haibat Al-Halbousi called for special status for Iraqi oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz during talks with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf in Baghdad on Wednesday, his office said in a statement, without providing further details.
Qalibaf arrived in neighboring Iraq Wednesday for a three-day visit where he will meet with Iraqi officials and leaders of an Iran-backed political coalition.
Iran-backed Iraqi militias have launched and claim drone attacks targeting US bases and diplomatic presence both within the country and abroad, piling the pressure on Baghdad which for years has delicately tried to maintain strong ties between both Washington and Tehran.
President Donald Trump last month welcomed his Iraqi counterpart Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi at the White House, showering him with praise.
Qalibaf on Wednesday praised the country’s Tehran-backed militias — which he called the “resistance in Iraq” — describing them as a “key component of the country’s national power.”
“After years of experience in Iraq, the resistance has gone beyond the borders of the two countries and has become an influential force at the regional and global levels,” Qalibaf said.
Iran has long relied on its top allies and proxies, notably the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon and the Yemeni Houthi rebels, in years of Middle East conflict.
Qalibaf said on Tuesday that the strategic Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the United States meets Tehran’s demands, including lifting a naval blockade.
“I want to state clearly that the Strait of Hormuz will not be opened until the American commitments stipulated in the memorandum of understanding … are implemented,” Qalibaf said in a speech broadcast on state television.
He listed the removal of the blockade, the lifting of oil sanctions and unfreezing of Iran’s assets abroad among the demands.
– with agencies
