ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday oversaw the signing of multiple memoranda of understanding aimed at expanding economic, transport, and administrative cooperation between the two countries.

Zaidi arrived in the Iranian capital at Pezeshkian's invitation and was received by a senior Iranian delegation before holding separate meetings with the Iranian president and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

One of the MoUs inked entails extending a railway line linking Kermanshah in western Iran to the border town of Khosravi, then to Khanaqin in Iraq and onward to Baghdad, according to a statement from Zaidi’s office. The two sides also signed an agreement on international freight and the transport of goods.

An MoU on “twinning the Baghdad and Tehran municipalities, and another on strengthening cooperation in public administration and human resource development were also signed during the ceremony.

Pezeshkian said Tehran wants its relations with Baghdad “to be elevated to the highest possible level,” and called for the formation of joint committees to accelerate implementation of the agreements, according to Iranian state media.

Zaidi’s visit comes mere days after the Iraqi premier returned from Washington, where he concluded a five-day visit that included meetings with senior US officials, including President Donald Trump, and the signing of numerous agreements.

Araghchi told reporters on Thursday that Zaidi is expected to brief Iranian officials on his recent trip to Washington.

Baghdad has long maneuvered a diplomatic tightrope between Tehran and Washington - the two foreign powers with the greatest influence in Iraq - while seeking to maintain balanced relations with both sides.

The visit comes as the US and Iran have exchanged strikes for more than 10 consecutive nights after Washington declared the peace deal over, accusing Tehran of violating the ceasefire by targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.

Speaking at a joint press conference alongside Pezeshkian before signing the agreements, Zaidi said that “Iraq and Iran have a shared security, and we will not allow any threat against Iran to be launched from Iraqi territory.”

Since taking office, Zaidi has led a renewed drive to disarm armed groups and restrict weapons to state control. The initiative is heavily backed by Washington, which has long pushed for the groups – many of which have strong ties to Iran – to be disarmed.

The Iran-backed groups in Iraq have continuously claimed attacks on US interests in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region during the recent regional war, mainly focused on the US diplomatic missions and the airports housing a US military presence as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS).