Ali Falih al-Zaidi tells Mohammed bin Salman: Iraqi soil will not become a launchpad for attacks on Saudi Arabia

Ali Falih al-Zaidi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday, 14 October 2026, during his first visit to Saudi Arabia since taking office, and said Baghdad will not allow Iraqi territory to be used for operations against Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the Iraqi prime minister's office said Iraq will not let its soil become a launchpad for attacks that threaten the security of Saudi Arabia or other countries in the region.

At the meeting, al-Zaidi again condemned the attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh and said that harming people and facilities endangers regional stability. According to him, the two countries have made progress on confidence-building and cooperation projects; the Saudi crown prince, for his part, backed Iraq's efforts toward dialogue and regional stability. No report has been published of any specific agreement being signed.

Armed groups in Iraq tied to the Islamic Republic

The visit came after months of tension between Riyadh and Baghdad over attacks by Iraqi armed groups tied to the Islamic Republic. In June–July, these groups attacked oil facilities in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province with drones and missiles, and in early September they targeted Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions — a pipeline with a capacity of up to seven million barrels a day, seen as an alternative to the route through the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia said the drone attack on the pipeline was launched from Iraqi territory, and Baghdad's investigations confirmed this; no group claimed responsibility.

In late July or early August, in an operation conducted jointly with the United States, Saudi Arabia struck Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) positions in six Iraqi provinces, and al-Zaidi cancelled his previously planned trip to Riyadh. A few days later, Khalid bin Ali al-Humaidan, head of Saudi intelligence, met him in Baghdad and renewed Riyadh's invitation; al-Zaidi had said at that time too that Iraqi soil would not become a launchpad for attacks on another country.

Houthi attacks and pressure on Saudi Arabia

The Riyadh meeting took place as the Houthis of Yemen, other allies of the Islamic Republic, have expanded their missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia. The repeated attacks on Riyadh airport kept the airport closed for several days, and shrapnel from intercepted missiles in Riyadh wounded four people. The US State Department has also reported a strike on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam.

In Riyadh, Iraq's prime minister pledged that armed groups tied to the Islamic Republic will not be able to attack Saudi Arabia from Iraqi soil.