ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday received Iran’s Ambassador to Iraq Mohammed Kazem Al-e Sadeq, with the pair discussing bilateral relations and Iraq’s recent parliamentary elections.

During the meeting where Faramarz Asadi, Iran’s Consul General in Erbil, was also present, they “emphasized the importance of further strengthening relations between the Kurdistan Region and the Islamic Republic of Iran, particularly in economic, trade, and cultural sectors,” a statement from the premier’s office read.

Trade ties between Erbil and Tehran are extensive and economically vital, with annual trade volume between the two sides estimated at around $6 billion.

In May, the governors of the Kurdistan Region’s four provinces met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran to discuss strengthening ties, followed by meetings with governors from western Iran’s Kurdish provinces. 

During meetings between the Kurdish delegation and senior Iranian officials, the topic of establishing a railway at the shared border crossings was discussed and placed on the agenda.

The railway memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Iraq is being pursued by the foreign ministry and is “on the verge of being finalized,” said Houshang Bazvand, Iran’s deputy minister of roads and urban development, as cited by the state-owned IRNA news agency in October.

The two sides also discussed the situation in Iraq following the parliamentary elections and ongoing discussions to form the new federal cabinet.

Iraq is an important playing field for many Iranian proxies, and the US has repeatedly voiced concern regarding their expanding power. 

Washington’s concerns, however, are often dismissed by Iraqi authorities, who claim that Baghdad’s cooperation with Tehran is based on Iraq’s national interests and is an extension of the country making decisions as an independent sovereign state.

US Congressman Joe Wilson, a staunch Iran critic, on Wednesday dismissed Iraq’s parliamentary elections, held last month, as irrelevant, stressing that “the entire country is deeply infiltrated by Iran.”

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has also accused Iran-backed militias of being behind a spate of drone attacks targeting the Kurdistan Region’s energy infrastructure. 

On Friday, Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid met his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the International Forum for Peace and Trust in Turkmenistan. 

“Iran is the most important neighbor, and our security is intertwined. We consider any obstruction against Iran as hostility toward ourselves,” Iranian state media quoted Rashid as saying.