The Iraqi president is going to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani and a number of other top officials during the visit.

Salih is expected to focus on the latest regional developments and ways to strengthen the ties between Tehran and Baghdad.

On October 3, Iraq’s parliament elected Kurdish politician Salih as president. He immediately picked a prime minster, ending months of deadlock after a national election in May.

Salih, 58, is a British-educated engineer who has held office in both the Iraqi federal and Kurdish regional governments.