Iran's Parliament Speaker and top negotiator visits Iraq

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf arrived in neighboring Iraq Wednesday for a three-day visit where he will meet with Iraqi officials and leaders of an Iran-backed political coalition.

Iran-backed Iraqi militias have launched and claim drone attacks targeting U.S. bases and diplomatic presence both within the country and abroad, piling the pressure on Baghdad which for years has delicately tried to maintain strong ties between both Washington and Tehran. President Donald Trump last month welcomed his Iraqi counterpart Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House, showering him with praise.

Qalibaf on Wednesday praised the country's Tehran-backed militias — which he called the “resistance in Iraq” — describing them as a “key component of the country's national power.”

“After years of experience in Iraq, the resistance has gone beyond the borders of the two countries and has become an influential force at the regional and global levels,” Qalibaf said.

Iran has long relied on its top allies and proxies, notably the Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon and the Yemeni Houthi rebels, in years of Mideast conflict.