This week, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf traveled to Iraq. His visit comes as Iraq seeks to rein in Iranian-backed militias. Notably, this follows IRGC head Ismail Qaani’s recent visit to Iraq, in which he discussed the militias and the Strait of Hormuz.
As he was visiting the country, Ghalibaf posted a photo of himself in front of a map of the Strait of Hormuz. In the photo, Ghalibaf’s large bald head is positioned to physically block the Strait of Hormuz.
This image was created deliberately. Ghalibaf is one of Iran’s most well-known officials and rose to prominence after other leaders and officials were killed during the war.
Ghalibaf is known for his willingness to travel abroad to promote Iran’s interests. For instance, he piloted a plane into Lebanon during clashes between Israel and Hezbollah in October 2024. At the time, Iran’s Mehr News noted that his flight to Beirut during the conflict was intended to display Iran’s power.
Now, Ghalibaf is doing the same in Iraq.
Iran moves to prevent clash over Iraqi militia weapons
“Iran is pushing proposals to avert a confrontation between Iraq’s government and Tehran-aligned armed factions over their weapons, with Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf taking the effort to Baghdad ahead of a September 30 disarmament deadline,” the website Asharq al Awsat noted.
The report added, “Iraqi sources said Ghalibaf’s visit to Baghdad on Wednesday goes well beyond its stated parliamentary purpose, with talks focused on political and security issues – chiefly the fate of armed factions’ weapons as the deadline to bring all arms under state control approaches.”
According to Kurdish media outlet Rudaw, “Iraq’s constitution bars the presence of armed factions that pose a threat to other countries, Baghdad’s National Security Advisor Qasim al-Abboudi confirmed to Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in a Thursday meeting in the Iraqi capital.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi hosted Ghalibaf in Baghdad, and reports say that they discussed bilateral ties and other issues. It’s quite likely that they discussed the Strait of Hormuz. Ghalibaf’s message with the image of his head is clear: Iran won’t budge on the strait.
Iraq wants to restore its capacity to export oil. Iraqi ships, like all the rest, are barred by Iran’s blockade. However, it is currently unclear if Iran and Iraq can come to an agreement regarding exports.
Iran seeks to preserve militia influence as Ghalibaf meets Iraqi leaders
Iran doesn’t want Iraq to rein in the militias. In Iraq, Ghalibaf and Zaidi “discussed prospects for cooperation and joint action, as well as ways to strengthen and further develop bilateral relations across various fields, in a manner that serves the mutual interests of the two neighboring countries and peoples,” Zaidi’s office said in a statement on Facebook.
In Iraq, there was some controversy over Ghalibaf’s head blocking the Strait of Hormuz. After he posted the image, which he labeled as the “Persian Gulf,” Iraq’s Parliament Speaker Haibet al-Halbousi responded with a picture of his own head blocking the Strait of Hormuz. Al-Halbousi labeled the waterway as the “Arabian Gulf.”