Source: Qaani arrives in Baghdad, meets with political leaders and armed factions

Shafaq News / Ismail Qaani, the commander of Iran's Quds Forces, arrived in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, a well-informed political source reported on Tuesday.

The source told Shafaq News, “Qaani immediately began holding both individual and group meetings with leaders of Iran-aligned armed factions.”

“The commander met with political and faction leaders, including Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Badr Organization, Qais al-Khazali, Secretary-General of Asa'eb Ahl al-Haq, and Hussein al-Hamidawi, commander of Kata'ib Hezbollah, among others,” the source added.

It is Qaani’s fourth visit to Baghdad in 2024.

In late January, Qaani visited Baghdad, leading to a temporary halt in attacks on U.S. forces by Iran-aligned Islamic Resistance groups in Iraq. This visit came after a deadly attack on U.S. troops in Jordan, where Qaani urged the armed groups to de-escalate in order to avoid severe US retaliation.

He later visited Iraq in April and May, with one of those visits being unannounced. Except for the leader of the Sadrist Movement, Iraqi Shia political parties under the umbrella of the Coordination Framework have played a key role in shaping Iraq's post-Saddam political landscape and are considered close to Tehran, with Iran providing financial and military support to them.

Iran's role in Iraq has been a source of concern for some countries, particularly the United States and its regional allies.