EXCLUSIVE: Iran's Qaani in Baghdad for high-level talks

Shafaq News/ Iran’s Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani made an unannounced visit to Baghdad for high-level discussions with Iraqi political and military leaders, a senior source told Shafaq News.

Qaani met with leaders of the Coordination Framework, commanders of armed factions, the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and Iran’s ambassador to Iraq. Talks focused on Iraq’s neutrality in regional conflicts, particularly in Syria, and the need to keep security control under state authority.

The meeting also addressed the fallout from recent US airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthis (Ansarallah) and broader regional developments. According to the source, Qaani conveyed Tehran’s position, urging Iraq to maintain its balanced stance and avoid aligning with any party. However, he warned that “Iran would not remain silent if Iraq were targeted by Israeli strikes,” pledging support for “any response” from the Iraqi government or allied factions.

Qaani’s visit comes amid growing US pressure on Baghdad. Sources revealed that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Sunday, issued a strong warning. He cautioned that any intervention by Iraqi armed factions against US operations targeting the Houthis in Yemen would trigger an American military response inside Iraq.

Hegseth also urged al-Sudani to accelerate efforts to disarm and dismantle these factions, a key priority for President Donald Trump’s administration. In response, al-Sudani reportedly affirmed that his government is in dialogue with armed groups to find a resolution.

The warnings come as Israel resumes airstrikes on Gaza, ending a fragile ceasefire that had been in place since January. They also coincide with US strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen following threats to maritime navigation, as new Iraqi armed factions emerge, vowing "jihad" to defend Iraq and Yemen against US military operations.