Iran and Iraq sign comprehensive security pact covering intelligence sharing and border patrols

Iran and Iraq have signed a joint security memorandum of understanding in Baghdad, formalizing intelligence sharing, joint patrols, and counter-smuggling operations along one of the Middle East’s most consequential borders. The agreement was inked on August 11, with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani and Iraq’s National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji putting pen to paper while Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani looked on. Two countries that fought an eight-year war in the 1980s are now signing up to patrol together. The MoU covers their roughly 1,450 km shared border, a stretch of territory that has been a persistent source of friction over armed groups, smuggling networks, and cross-border attacks. What the agreement actually covers The MoU outlines a framework for several concrete security initiatives between Tehran and Baghdad. Intelligence sharing sits at the top of the list, followed by coordinated joint patrols and operations targeting smuggling routes that crisscross the lengthy frontier. A central concern driving the agreement is the presence of armed Iranian Kurdish opposition groups operating from Iraqi territory, particularly from...