The launch of a Saudi effort to find better relations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia is a welcome step. Any effort to restore closer relations between two leading Arab nations has to be valuable, and a significant help to finding a joint Arab route to returning peace and prosperity in the region. It is this context that Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir made a surprise trip on Saturday to Baghdad, which was the first official visit by a Saudi foreign minister since the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and the first high-level visit since the 2003 US-led invasion. Al Jubeir made clear that Saudi Arabia sees a chance “to build excellent relations between the two brotherly countries. There are also many shared interests, from fighting extremism and terrorism [to] opportunities for investment and trade.”

The historic problem between the two states was the Saddam Hussain regime’s 1990 aggression against a GCC member state, and after the US-led invasion the next issue was Baghdad’s growing alignment to Iran and its rejection of several Arab initiatives to reach out to the Iraqi government.

This led the previous Saudi ambassador (the first in 25 years) to speak in 2015 about Saudi Arabia’s concern about Iran’s involvement in Iraqi affairs and the alleged persecution of Sunni Muslims, as well as seeking the exclusion of Shiite paramilitary groups from Iraq’s military campaign against Daesh, in order to avoid abuses against Sunnis in the country. Al Jubeir himself has accused the Hashd Al Shaabi militia, which is a significant partner of the Iraqi army in its fight against Daesh, of being a proxy force for Iran.

Iranian interference in Arab states across the region is one of the most important destabilising problems that affects the Arab world. Iraq in particular suffers from gross Iranian interference as Tehran supports political movements in Iraq as well as militias that can muster tens of thousands of well-armed men.

This gives Iran an excessive influence on the Baghdad government, which former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki seemed to welcome, and from which current Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi has not done enough to distance himself. This is why it will be helpful that Al Jubeir met his Iraqi counterpart Ebrahim Al Jaafari and Al Abadi and was able to hold some frank talks.

We have to hope that the Iraqis were listening carefully and will try to distance themselves from their Iranian allies.