Iraqi defense minister due in Tehran tomorrow

Iraq’s Defense Minister Juma Inad Saadoun is scheduled to arrive in Tehran tomorrow at the head of a high-ranking military delegation, according to Iran’s Defense Ministry.

The visit of Iraqi defense minister to Iran came at the official invitation of Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami, IRNA reported.

The Iraqi official will hold separate meetings with his Iranian counterpart as well as a number of high-ranking military and political officials.

Expansion of defense cooperation between Iran and Iraq is among the main objectives of the visit.

Iran-Iraq ties have improved since Iraq’s dictator Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.

Following the creation of Daesh terrorist group in Iraq, Iran’s military rushed to help the Arab country eradicate the terrorist group in the country.

Since then, relations between the two countries considerably have been strengthened.

In July 2017, Iran and Iraq signed an agreement to step up military cooperation and the fight against terrorism and extremism.

Former Iranian defense minister Hossein Dehqan and former Iraqi defense minister Erfan al-Hiyali signed a memorandum of understanding which also covered border security, logistics and training, according to IRNA.

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