ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein is set to visit Iran on Sunday to meet with senior officials in the country, amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington.

Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported on Saturday that Hussein is set to travel to Tehran on Sunday to meet his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi and other senior officials.

Iraqi state media later confirmed the news, citing a well-informed source, saying that the visit will last for one day and aims to discuss Tehran-Baghdad bilateral relations.

In addition to Araghchi, Hussein is also set to meet with Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Larijani, and other officials, according to the souce.

The visit comes amid heightened tensions between Iran on one side and the US and its ally Israel on the other, with Washington in recent weeks threatening Tehran with a potential military intervention if it continues its heavy crackdown on protesters or expands its nuclear and missile programs.

The Islamic republic has warned of strong retaliation, threatening to target US bases across the region, including in Iraq.

Mohsen Rezaei, senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander and member of Iran’s Expediency Council, directly threatened US President Donald Trump in a televised interview on Thursday.

Rezaei said that Iran remains committed to maintaining relations with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, and Iraq, but warned that “none of your [US] bases in these countries will be safe,” while reaffirming the readiness of Iran’s naval and air defense forces, and telling Washington: “we advise you to step back and not advance any further.”

Hussein held separate phone calls with his French, Turkish, and Saudi counterparts on Saturday, discussing the Tehran-Washington tensions, and stressing the importance of preserving regional stability and security.

Iran has been engulfed in nationwide protests since late last year, as business owners and shopkeepers at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar went on strike and staged demonstrations over the falling value of the Iranian rial against the US dollar.

The unrest later spread to other provinces, with chants increasingly targeting the state, prompting a harsh crackdown by authorities. Rights monitors report that at least 3,000 protesters have been killed, more than 2,000 injures, and over 22,000 arrested. Iran has labeled the protesters “rioters” and accused them of being agents of the US and Israel.