Iraqi PM Zaidi to visit Riyadh Wednesday after US-Saudi strikes derailed July trip

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia Wednesday for talks on Iraqi sovereignty, security coordination and economic ties, a source familiar with the arrangements told 964media Saturday.

The trip comes more than two months after a planned visit to Riyadh in late July was called off following U.S.-Saudi airstrikes on Popular Mobilization Forces sites in Iraq.

An advance delegation was expected to arrive in the Saudi capital Saturday to finalize the agenda and technical arrangements for the visit, the source said.

The visit follows months of tension between the two countries over cross-border attacks. On July 29, U.S. and Saudi aircraft struck PMF positions across seven Iraqi governorates, killing at least 20 PMF members and wounding 32, according to preliminary figures released by the PMF. The strikes hit sites in Baghdad, Wasit, Nineveh, Basra, Kirkuk, Karbala and Diyala.

U.S. Central Command said the operation targeted weapons storage and logistics facilities linked to Iran-backed groups, in response to more than 30 drone attacks attributed to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps over the preceding 72 hours. Saudi Arabia confirmed its participation, saying the strikes targeted groups linked to attacks on oil facilities in the kingdom’s Eastern Province and in Riyadh.

Iraq’s Ministerial Council for National Security, chaired by Zaidi, condemned the strikes as a violation of national sovereignty and said any response was the sole responsibility of the Iraqi government. The council also ordered tighter security controls to prevent Iraqi territory from being used to threaten neighboring countries.

In August, Saudi intelligence chief Khalid al-Humaidan visited Baghdad and delivered a message from the Saudi leadership renewing the invitation for Zaidi to visit Riyadh, the prime minister’s office said.

Tensions resurfaced in September after Saudi Arabia said drones launched from Iraqi territory struck its East-West oil pipeline, causing injuries and material damage. Riyadh held off on retaliation at Zaidi’s request while Baghdad opened an investigation into the attack.

On Sept. 15, Security Media Cell chief Lt. Gen. Saad Maan said Iraqi investigators had identified a drone launch site inside the country and were working to establish who was responsible. He said Baghdad had been in contact with Saudi authorities about the investigation and the measures taken by the Iraqi government.