ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Iranian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday revealed that Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani is scheduled to visit Tehran “late next week” and hold meetings with senior Iranian officials.

“The visit is in line with the continuous consultations between the two countries to expand bilateral relations and consult on regional development,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told reporters.

A well-informed source from the Iraqi government told The New Region earlier in the week that the purpose of Sudani’s trip to Tehran is to discuss regional developments and “their impact on the region as a whole.”

Iran and Iraq are major allies and share extensive ties across all sectors. Sudani’s trip comes nearly a month after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in Syria, who was strongly supported by both Tehran and Baghdad.

In September, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in Baghdad on his first official foreign visit since taking office two months earlier, where he was received by both Sudani and President Abdul Latif Rashid.

The Iranian president’s visit saw the signing of 14 memoranda of understanding in various fields, which Sudani said “will represent a promising roadmap to enhance joint cooperations between the two countries.”

Pezeshkian also visited Najaf, Karbala, and Basra during his September trip, as well as the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil and Sulaimani.