Iran's Parliament Speaker visits Soleimani memorial site in Iraq

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf paid tribute to the tomb of martyr Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMU), upon his arrival in Baghdad on Wednesday.

The visit took place as Ghalibaf began his official trip to Iraq. The memorial site is located near Baghdad International Airport, where the two commanders were assassinated in a U.S. drone strike in January 2020, ordered by then-President Donald Trump.

Soleimani, a senior commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, and al-Muhandis were killed along with several others in the attack. Their deaths heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, leading to retaliatory missile strikes by Iran on U.S. bases in Iraq.

Ghalibaf's visit underscores the ongoing significance of the two figures in the region. The memorial site has become a place of pilgrimage for many, symbolizing the resistance against foreign intervention.

According to Mehr News Agency, the visit was part of Ghalibaf's schedule during his stay in Iraq, where he is expected to hold talks with Iraqi officials on bilateral relations and regional issues.