Iran's Ghalibaf says US seeks honorable exit from Mideast

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf claimed on Wednesday that the United States is seeking an "honorable exit" from the Middle East, a statement delivered during a two-day visit to Baghdad that highlighted Tehran's efforts to bolster ties with Iraq amid ongoing regional tensions. Ghalibaf made the remarks after visiting the site of the 2020 U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis near Baghdad International Airport.

The visit, which began on the morning of August 19, 2026, included meetings with senior Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and President Nazar al-Amidi. Ghalibaf's trip comes at a sensitive moment, as Iraq faces pressure from Washington to disarm powerful Iran-backed armed factions under a September 30 deadline. The deadline is set to coincide with the withdrawal of the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition.

During his visit, Ghalibaf criticized the U.S. presence in the region. "America is seeking an honorable exit for itself from the region," he wrote on the social media platform X. In a separate meeting with President al-Amidi, he stated that "the United States has...