Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi is in Iran for his first official visit since he took office, in a further sign that Baghdad is serious about maintaining close ties with Tehran despite U.S. pressures.

IRAN NEWS NATIONAL DESK

It comes right on the heels of President Hassan Rouhani’s trip to Baghdad last month and the two neighbors’ pledge to boost the already flowering trade to $20 billion in two years from $12 billion today.

“The plans to export electricity and gas and hopefully oil continue and we are ready to expand these contacts not only for the two countries but also for other countries in the region,” he said, according to the IRNA news agency.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Abdul-Mahdi on Saturday, President Rouhani said they have discussed ways to carry out all of the bilateral agreements signed during his March visit to Baghdad.

The first agreement that has come into effect was issuing entry visa for the nationals of the two countries free of charge, Rouhani noted, hoping that it would bring the two nations closer together.

He also expressed hope that implementation of an agreement on dredging the Arvand River and another deal on linking the railroad networks of the two countries would begin after the holy month of Ramadan.

“The (Iranian) export of power and gas to Iraq will continue and (export of oil will begin) in future,” the president added.

Hailing the fruitful measures that Iran and Iraq have taken in the past months to boost monetary and banking relations, Rouhani expressed hope that a future visit to Iraq by the governor of the Central Bank of Iran would help accelerate the process.

Last month, Washington gave Iraq a 90-day waiver exempting it from sanctions to buy energy from Iran, the latest extension permitting Baghdad to keep purchasing electricity from its neighbor.

“We hope that our plans to expand trade volume to $20 billion will be realized within the next few months or years,” Rouhani added.

The current level of trade between Iraq and Iran stands at about $12 billion, according to Iranian media.

The two countries maintain robust political and economic relations. Over the past decade and a half, Baghdad has relied considerably on Tehran to fulfill its economic needs by importing food products and other goods.

The Iranian president said he also hoped that work on establishing a railway linking the two neighbors. The project, scheduled to commence in the coming months, was part of an agreement signed during Rouhani’s visit to Baghdad in mid-March.