Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, back from a week-long visit to Washington, arrived in Doha on Sunday and is due to travel to Tehran later this week, in a sequence of visits that underscores Baghdad’s role as a mediator between Washington and Tehran. According to Iraqi government statements, al-Zaidi secured 48 commercial agreements with US companies during his stay, and publicly reiterated a pledge to disarm Iran-aligned militias once US forces complete their withdrawal—a timeline he set for 30 September. The Doha stopover included talks with Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, where both sides called for adherence to dialogue and full implementation of the US–Iran memorandum of understanding, with particular emphasis on guaranteeing freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatar’s own diplomatic push, conducted through telephone calls with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan, mirrored the Doha communiqué. According to readouts of those calls, Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani condemned recent Iranian retaliatory strikes while urging all parties to uphold the MOU’s provisions. Notably, the Qatari statements did not reference the US military actions that preceded those strikes, a silence that underscores the delicate balancing act Gulf mediators are attempting. Oman, which holds sovereignty over half of the Hormuz waterway, was particularly insistent on respect for its territorial waters and the international shipping lanes.

The diplomatic activity coincides with a spike in attacks inside Iraqi Kurdistan—strikes that regional and Western capitals have attributed to Iran-backed forces and that have targeted both US military installations and oil company facilities. Viewed from Baghdad, the wave of visits and calls reflects a shared assessment that the space for de-escalation is narrowing. Iraq has long sought to position itself as a neutral ground between its two main backers, and al-Zaidi’s Washington trip solidified economic ties while securing an apparent timeline for US troop withdrawal—a condition that, according to Iraqi officials, removes the rationale for militia activity against foreign forces.

Tehran is now the next stop. Iraq’s ambassador to Iran stated that the visit, al-Zaidi’s first since taking office, would help “reduce tensions and support stability in the region.” Memorandums of understanding are expected to be signed in areas of mutual interest, and the Iranian leadership is likely to seek assurances that Baghdad will not allow its territory to be used for attacks against the Islamic Republic. Meanwhile, Qatari diplomacy is expected to continue, with further consultations among Gulf capitals aimed at reinforcing the Hormuz navigation accord and preventing a broader confrontation.