The Iraqi government has declared Esmail Qaani, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, persona non grata ahead of the funeral ceremony for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Axar.az informs, citing Monte Carlo Doualiya, the Iraqi authorities' decision to designate Qaani as an undesirable person was formally communicated to Iran's Foreign Ministry.

The decision was accompanied by other measures, including a ban on meetings between Iranian officials and Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and other Iraqi factions, as well as a prohibition on visits by Iraqi Shiite officials and militia leaders to Iran without the knowledge and approval of the Iraqi government led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

The Iraqi authorities' measures come ahead of al-Zaidi's planned visit to Washington, where he is expected to pursue major military and economic agreements with the United States.