Iran’s president visits Iraq on first foreign trip

DUBAI -Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday, making an official visit to Iraq, a strategic ally of both Tehran and Washington, Iran's state media said.

Iraq hosts several Iran-aligned parties and armed groups, as Tehran has steadily increased its sway in the major oil producer since a U.S.-led invasion toppled its enemy Saddam Hussein in 2003.

A rare partner of both the United States and Iran, Iraq hosts 2,500 U.S. troops and has Iran-backed militias linked to its security forces. It has suffered escalating tit-for-tat attacks since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in Gaza in October.