Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrived in neighboring Iraq on Monday to kick off a three-day visit as the Islamic Republic is under mounting US pressure over its regional influence.

Rouhani's first official visit to Iraq — dubbed by his foreign minister as a "historic" new start in relations — is primarily focused on trade and investment at a time when Tehran is battling against economic isolation following the Trump administration's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposition of unilateral sanctions.

The visit sends a strong signal to the United States that its policy of "maximum pressure" is not working, as Iran seeks to expand regional economic ties and display its political and military influence in Iraq.

Unlike US President Donald Trump, who paid a brief four-hour visit to US troops at an air base in Iraq over Christmas and did not meet the country's main political actors, Rouhani is leading a large political and trade delegation.

Watch video 03:08 Share When sanctions threaten people's health Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3D6mk Iran: When sanctions threaten people's health

Rouhani is meeting with Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, President Barham Salih and likely with Shiite allies such as former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Hadi al-Amiri, commander of the Iran-backed paramilitary Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and National Wisdom Movement leader Ammar al-Hakim. Rouhani's visit comes following a string of high-level visits between Iranian and Iraqi officials in recent months.

Iraqi President Barham Salih (L) was in Iran in November, one of a number of high-profile exchanges between the two sides in recent months

Iranian media has speculated that Rouhani may also be granted a meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the reclusive 88-year-old spiritual leader of Iraqi Shiites and one of the most senior clerics in Shiite Islam. Such an audience would boost Rouhani's status among hard-line critics at home and show the United States there are limits to its pressure campaign in Iraq.

Key trading partners

After China, Iraq is Iran's second-biggest trading partner, with $12 billion (€10.7 billion) — a number the countries are seeking to increase to $20 billion — in bilateral trade a year. Iraq relies heavily on the import of Iranian natural gas and electricity.

The United States has granted Baghdad temporary sanctions waivers on the import of Iranian natural gas and electricity, out of concern shortages could spark more of the kind of unrest that hit Basra and other cities last summer.

"Iran is well aware of the American pressures to have Baghdad on board in its policy of maximizing pressures on Iran. However, it's also aware that given the level of interdependencies between the two sides, Iraq is not yet ready to fully comply with the US demands even if it decides to do so," said Hamidreza Azizi, an assistant professor of regional studies at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran.

"Iran wants to build upon the opportunity of sanctions waivers, and by consolidating the existing level of economic ties with Iraq and enhancing the level of interdependency, makes it even harder for the US to convince Iraq to change its course regarding the Islamic Republic," he added.

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on 'I feel nothing' On February 1, 1979, Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Tehran from exile in France. When a reporter asked him how he felt upon his return to Iran, Khomeini replied: "Nothing — I feel nothing." Some analysts interpreted his remarks as the Shiite leader's idea about embarking on a "divine mission" where emotions hardly mattered.

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on The Shah ran out of time Two months before Khomeini's return to Iran, an estimated six to nine million people took to the streets in the country's major cities. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, compared to the violent September 8, 1978, protests. The Shah regime, headed by Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, had realized that its time in power was over and that they could not stop Khomeini's return.

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on Even women rooted for Khomeini The revolutionary mood was so intense in Tehran that even many women celebrated Khomeini's return, ignoring the fact that Khomeini had slammed Shah's measures for women's emancipation in exile. In 1963, the Shah of Iran granted women the right to vote.

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on A spectacle of exuberance In 1971, the Shah and his wife Farah Diba (seen in the picture) staged a lavish spectacle on the ancient site of Persepolis to mark the "2,500th anniversary of the Iranian monarchy." Many heads of state attended the event. Khomeini, in his message from exile, condemned the monarchy as "cruel, evil and un-Islamic."

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on Exile and death Under pressure from the Islamic Revolution, the Shah (left) had left Iran on January 16, 1979. After spending time in several countries, he succumbed to cancer on July 27, 1980 in Cairo, Egypt.

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on Consolidating power In the beginning, women's rights were not a major issue for the Islamic revolutionaries. They only imposed hardline Islam after consolidating their victory.

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on Soldiers join the revolution Upon Khomeini's return to Iran in 1979, the military did not confront the protesters. On February 11, the army declared itself neutral. Despite that, the revolutionaries executed several generals in February and April.

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on New government Soon after his return, Khomeini declared the monarchy, the previous government and parliament illegal, and said he would appoint a government "because of the fact that this nation believes in me." According to Iran experts, it was not self-deception but reality.

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on The liberal face of the revolution Mehdi Bazargan, a scholar and pro-democracy activist, had campaigned against the Pahlavi dynasty, for which he had been incarcerated for several years. Khomeini appointed him as his first prime minister, although Bazargan was critical of him as well. Bazargan had called Khomeini a "turbaned Shah" after a meeting with the Ayatollah in Paris. He remained in office for only nine months.

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on Occupation of the US Embassy In November 1979, radical Iranian students seized the US Embassy in Tehran and took the embassy staff hostage. The students were fearful of Shah's return to power with US help. Khomeini took advantage of the situation. He dismissed his opponents as "US allies."

Iran's Islamic Revolution 40 years on Ali Khamenei – guardian of the revolution In 1989, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was elected by the expert council to succeed Khomeini. Khamenei, to this date, has the ultimate power over all state institutions. Although the 79-year-old does not have the same charisma as his predecessor, he represents the policies of Iranian hardliners who refuse to reform the system and continue to persecute dissidents. Author: Hans Spross



Iran the most influential power in Iraq

Tehran views the US military presence at its doorstep in Iraq as a threat and a challenge to its influence in Baghdad. That view was strengthened when Trump said earlier this year that it was important to maintain a US military presence in Iraq to "watch Iran," prompting sharp criticism from Iraqi and Iranian officials.

Read more: Iran's military power: What you need to know

Iran wields influence in Iraq through its economic footprint and extensive ties to Iraqi political groups, Shiite militias and the country's elite.

"Iran is the most influential external power in Iraq," said Emma Sky, who served as political adviser to the US military and is now at Yale University. "The Shiite militias are a critical part of Iranian influence in Iraq. But they also serve to undermine the legitimacy of the Iraqi state particularly through their use of intimidation for political and economic gain."

From Baghdad's perspective, she added, "Iraq seeks to balance its relations between the US and Iran by not angering the former or provoking the latter."

Read more: What is Iran's Revolutionary Guard?

Soft power complementing hard power

Iran's security policy in Iraq and the region is run by General Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. The Rouhani administration plays only an indirect role in security affairs.

However, Azizi points out that security ties between Iran and Iraq could be threatened if not empowered by soft power, including economic ties.

"Security considerations are not directly forming the agenda of Rouhani's visit, but pursuing economic benefits can in fact contribute to the consolidation and deepening of Iran's security influence in Iraq as well," he said.

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