Iranian Quds Force commander Qaani holds meeting with Iraqi Shi’ite proxy leaders in Baghdad

Iran’s Quds Force commander, Esmail Qaani, arrived in Baghdad for an unannounced visit on Saturday to meet with Shi’a political and militia leaders in order to reach an agreement regarding Iraq’s next prime minister, Arab media reported. 

According to Iraqi outlet Shafaq News, Qaani met with Shi’a militia leaders before holding discussions with members of the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), a coalition of Iran-aligned parties that forms the largest bloc in Iraq’s parliament. 

As the U.S. is pressuring the Iraqi government to restrict weapons to official state security agencies only, Qaani reportedly also spoke with the militias about the possibility of integrating them into state security organizations. 

The U.S. Treasury Department recently launched a series of sanctions against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq as part of its economic warfare against Iran, dubbed Operation “Economic Fury.” 

In its announcement, the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said: “designated seven Iran-backed Iraqi militia commanders for planning, directing, and executing attacks against U.S. personnel, facilities, and interests in Iraq.” 

“These militias attack US personnel and innocent civilians across Iraq, siphoning Iraq’s wealth to finance their terrorist activities, and undermining Iraq’s sovereignty and democratic processes,” the statement said. 

“We will not allow Iraq’s terrorist militias, backed by Iran, to threaten American lives or interests,” U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said while announcing the sanctions. “Those who enable these militias’ violence will be held accountable.” 

Qaani is the successor to the previous Quds Force commander, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike at the Baghdad International Airport, ordered by President Donald Trump in 2020. 

He last visited Baghdad in January 2026, when he met with many of the same Shi’ite leaders, urging them to maintain unity and avoid fighting in light of the failure to agree on a prime ministerial candidate amid rising internal unrest in Iran. 

An Iraqi official told AFP that Qaani was seeking to “coordinate positions among Tehran’s allies in Iraq and to ensure that the security situation does not deteriorate during these sensitive times.” 

Iran is reportedly hoping to see a pro-Tehran prime minister appointed, who could be pressured to support Iran against U.S. and Israeli interests.  Qaani’s visit demonstrates the importance the Iranian regime gives to the situation in Iraq and its proxies there. 

U.S. President Donald Trump, in January, said he would end American support for Iraq if the Coordination Framework backed Nouri Al-Maliki, a two-time former prime minister with close ties to Iran, who returns to power. 

Qaani has become a well-known figure in Israel due to conspiracy theories arguing that he could be a Mossad agent after he avoided being killed in several Israeli strikes against Iranian proxy figures. 

Qaani's disappearance following the 2024 assassination of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s successor, triggered the initial speculation. Just before that, Qaani had reportedly met with Nasrallah before he was killed in an Israeli strike in September. 

Speculations were revived after Qaani again disappeared following Israel’s opening strikes on Iranian military and IRGC leaders as part of Operation Rising Lion. However, Qaani was seen attending a funeral for one of the commanders killed in those strikes. 

Israeli accounts on social media have shared pictures and videos of Qaani, portraying him as an inside agent, aiding Israeli efforts in Iran. These posts eventually led to Qaani opening a social media account in order to deny any affiliation with Israel. 

Qaani was originally believed to be in the meeting with former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, in which Khamenei was killed. However, after it was announced that Qaani was not in attendance, an Israeli account posted another video portraying Qaani as an Israeli agent. 

הוא חזר - קאאני, האיש שלנו בטהרן 😎
He is back - Ismail Qaani - Our Man In Tehran pic.twitter.com/V0H0eJN3ks

— Evyatar Rosenberg (@EvyaRosenberg) March 2, 2026