Shafaq News- Baghdad

Saudi Arabia renewed its invitation to Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi to visit Riyadh during a meeting on Friday with the Saudi Intelligence President Khalid bin Ali Al-Humaidan, who delivered a message from the Kingdom's leadership.

According to a statement from Al-Zaidi's office, the two sides discussed ways to strengthen coordination in response to regional security developments.

Al-Zaidi reaffirmed Iraq's commitment to expanding cooperation in a way that serves the interests of both countries and contributes to regional security and stability. He also reiterated the government's position that Iraq will protect its sovereignty and national interests and will not allow its territory to be used as a launching point for activities targeting other countries, in line with constitutional responsibilities and the principles of good neighborly relations.

The statement said both sides agreed to continue security coordination and intelligence sharing between the relevant authorities to address security challenges, strengthen mutual trust, and help prevent further regional escalation.

On Monday, a source told Shafaq News that Al-Zaidi is expected to visit Saudi Arabia next week after international, regional, and domestic mediation helped ease tensions between Baghdad and Riyadh.

Earlier this week, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that US and Saudi had carried out attacks on weapons and logistics sites belonging to Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) positions.

Earlier on Friday, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), an umbrella group of Iran-aligned armed factions, revealed it had postponed its response to last month's joint US-Saudi strikes following appeals from Badr Organization leader Hadi Al-Amiri and other Iraqi political figures.