Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih Al-Zaidi is predicted to visit Saudi Arabia and Kuwait this week for talks on regional security, oil export routes, and long-standing bilateral disputes, according to Iraqi government sources, as escalating attacks on Saudi Arabia raise regional tensions.
The scheduled visit follows a horrific strike on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport on Saturday, which killed at least 12 people and wounded over 300.
The international airport was attacked again on Sunday, with Yemen’s Houthi movement claiming responsibility.
Iraq condemned the Houthi strikes on Sunday, expressing support for Saudi Arabia and warning that attacks on civilians and infrastructure endanger regional security and stability.
According to Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Baghdad rejects further military escalation and instead advocates for an end to hostilities, civilian protection, and a stronger emphasis on discourse to address regional issues.
The worsening security situation has created concerns regarding travel plans, however no official notification has been made that al-Zaidi’s visit has been postponed.
Security cooperation is anticipated to be a major focus in Riyadh, where the Iraqi prime minister will likely address regional de-escalation, particularly the situation in Yemen, as well as attempts to avoid attacks on neighboring nations.
According to a government source reported by Shafaq News, Al-Zaidi is anticipated to underline Iraq’s condemnation of strikes conducted from its territory against Gulf nations, as well as its determination to hold those guilty accountable.
Relations between Baghdad and Riyadh have strained recently, with Saudis claiming that drones fired from Iraqi territory attacked its East-West oil pipeline in September.
The visit will also discuss the possibility of reactivating the long-idle Iraqi-Saudi oil pipeline, which would provide Baghdad with an alternate export route to the Red Sea.
The roughly 1,568-kilometer pipeline was constructed in the 1980s to transport Iraqi oil from the Al-Zubair district of Basra through Saudi Arabia to the Red Sea export terminals at Yanbu.
It discontinued operations in 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia subsequently reused parts of the infrastructure on their territory.
Reviving the route has become more important as the prolonged regional conflict delays shipping across the Strait of Hormuz, exposing Iraq’s dependency on southern oil export ports in the Arabian Gulf.
Al-Zaidi is next slated to go to Kuwait, where discussions would center on maritime boundary delineation, transportation via the Khor Abdullah waterway, and Iraq’s water rights.
The planned Gulf travel follows the cancelation of a previous Saudi visit in July due to increased military tensions between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
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