Baghdad, Iraq – An Iraqi source from within the leading Coordination Framework, an umbrella for Shia Iraqi parties, has told Al Jazeera that the commander of the Quds Force in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Esmail Qaani, made an unannounced visit to Baghdad earlier this week. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is facing a mounting political and security crisis as a September 30 deadline to restrict all weapons to state control approaches. Days after meeting US President Donald Trump, al-Zaidi also headed to Tehran, where he held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Baghdad witnessed last week a security escalation against the backdrop of armed factions’ threats to respond to the Saudi-US attacks that targeted Popular Mobilisation Forces sites late last month. However, efforts by the Iraqi government and political factions succeeded in containing the tension, opening a path towards de-escalation and diplomatic movement.