Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief held talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in Baghdad on Friday, seeking to mend diplomatic relations between the two nations. The meeting marked an effort to rebuild ties after tensions escalated following military strikes on Iraqi territory in late July.
Al-Zaidi had previously postponed a planned visit to Riyadh in protest of joint US-Saudi operations that killed 20 fighters from Iraqi armed groups on July 29. During the Baghdad meeting, Saudi Intelligence Chief Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan extended a fresh invitation for the prime minister to travel to the kingdom, signaling a willingness from Riyadh to move past the incident.
Both officials discussed strengthening security coordination between their governments amid ongoing regional tensions. Al-Zaidi reaffirmed Iraq’s commitment to preventing its territory from being used as a base for attacks against neighboring countries and emphasized Baghdad’s determination to maintain national sovereignty. The talks come as Iraq continues to navigate its complex position between rival powers, with the prime minister recently imposing a September 30 deadline for armed groups to disarm.
Meanwhile, Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions announced a postponement of planned retaliatory strikes against the Saudi-US operation, with their decision reportedly influenced by prominent Iraqi political figures.
Originally reported by Aljazeera →
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