Iran has reservations about al-Zaidi’s appointment… Qaani is in Baghdad to sort things out
Iran has reservations about al-Zaidi’s appointment… Qaani is in Baghdad to sort things out
2026-05-10
Shafaq News – Baghdad
An informed source revealed on Sunday that Iranian reservations about assigning Ali al-Zaidi to form the next Iraqi government were behind sending the commander of the Quds Force in the Revolutionary Guard, Ismail Qaani, to the capital, Baghdad.
According to the source, who spoke to Shafaq News Agency, Qani arrived in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, in the past few hours and held a series of meetings with political leaders within the coordination framework, as well as leaders of some armed factions.
The Iranian general’s visit coincided with political and parliamentary activity to hold a session to grant confidence to Al-Zidi’s government within the next two days.
According to the source, the meetings focused on the process of forming the new Iraqi government, headed by Ali al-Zaidi, and so far there are no results regarding those meetings, and the final Iranian position on al-Zaidi is still unknown.
According to the source, the Iranian reservation about assigning al-Zaidi to form the Iraqi government is due to the large American support, which was understood in Tehran as a threat to reduce and limit its influence in Baghdad.
A parliamentary source reported on Saturday that there was a political agreement to pass al-Zidi’s government this week, before a number of MPs head to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that the Speaker of Parliament “has not yet received any official notification from the government regarding the submission of the cabinet,” explaining that “if the notification arrives, the date of the session will be set and members of parliament will be notified 24 hours before the confidence vote session.”
He added that “there is an agreement between the parliament’s leadership and the heads of the political blocs to pass the government formation during this week, before a group of MPs head to Saudi Arabia next week to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.”
Prime Minister-designate Ali Faleh al-Zaidi submitted the ministerial program for the new government to Speaker of Parliament Hebat Hamad al-Halbousi last Thursday (May 7), in preparation for circulating it to members of Parliament for review, with the names of the government formation to be submitted later.
On April 27, 2026, President Nizar Amidi tasked Al-Zaidi with forming the new government after he was nominated by the Coordination Framework to succeed Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.
shafaq.com
