ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday thanked Iraqi Muslims, including officials and fighters, for standing with Iran in its war with the US and Israel, highlighting Baghdad and Tehran’s shared history and religious values.

“The Muslim people of Iraq stood bravely alongside Iran in this unjust war; a stance not imposed by geography, but forged by the unity of history, identity, and religious values,” wrote Pezeshkian on X.

Home to a majority Shiite population, Iraq maintains deep religious, political, and economic ties with the Iran, particularly since the overthrow of the Sunni-led Baath regime and the rise of Shiite political factions to power.

Iraqi authorities have continuously stressed Tehran’s right of self-defense since the start of the US-Israeli war on Iran, while renewing calls for a return to dialogue.

Baghdad has also condemned the repeated attacks targeting pro-Iran factions of the state-incorporated Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). While the PMF has described the attacks as “Zionist-American aggression,” the state often refrains from directly blaming the US, as it seeks to continue maintaining ties with both Washington and Tehran.

Apart from political relations, Iraq’s Shiite population has displayed solidarity with Iran, including through fundraising campaigns aimed at supporting the neighboring country and the people.

“I warmly shake hands with the people of Iraq, its officials, and its fighters in the land of Mesopotamia,” Pezeshkian said. “We value your steadfastness and cherish our shared commitment.”

The majority of attacks on US diplomatic missions and military presence are claimed by pro-Iran Iraqi militias in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), most of which enjoy an institutionalized status as part of the PMF and hence a component of the state security apparatus.

In addition to strikes launched against Iran’s foes within Iraq, reports have emerged of Iraqi militiamen entering Iran, with footage circulating online showing what appear to be PMF convoys, made up of dozens of pick-up trucks, which Tehran-affiliated media has described as the “humanitarian aid convoys” from Iraq.