Iraqi Prime Minister and Saudi Intelligence Chief Meet Amid Regional Tensions

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Saudi general intelligence chief Khalid al-Humaidan in Baghdad on Friday to discuss coordination over regional security developments. During the meeting, al-Zaidi stated that Iraq would not allow its territory to be used to launch attacks against any other country and reiterated Baghdad's commitment to protecting its sovereignty and preventing regional escalation. Al-Humaidan extended a renewed invitation for al-Zaidi to visit Riyadh, an earlier trip that had been cancelled following joint Saudi and U.S. strikes in Iraq on July 29. Those strikes, which Saudi Arabia said targeted groups responsible for attacks on its oil facilities, killed 20 fighters including five Iranians. While the Iraqi National Security Council called the operation a breach of national sovereignty, Saudi Arabia justified the action as retaliation for drone attacks on its infrastructure.

The meeting occurred as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella term for Iran-aligned armed groups, postponed a retaliatory response planned for Friday. The group attributed the delay to an appeal by Hadi al-Amiri, a powerful pro-Iranian figure, and the positions of unnamed political leaders. The group did not specify the nature of the planned response or its intended target. Prime Minister al-Zaidi, who took office earlier this year with U.S. backing, has set a September 30 deadline for armed groups to disarm, a move that has faced opposition from powerful factions.