Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on Monday wrapped up his three-day visit to Iran in which he sought to expand ties between the two countries and reassure Tehran over Baghdad's planned security pact with Washington.

Shortly before al-Maliki left Tehran Monday, Iraqi Defense Minister Lieutenant General Abdul Qadir Mohammed Jassim Obeidi al-Mifarji and his Iranian counterpart Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost bilateral defense cooperation.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) speaks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki during a meeting in Tehran June 9, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) 

The MoU, signed at the presence of al-Maliki and Iran's First Vice President Parviz Davoudi at the Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, called for expansion of defense cooperation between the two countries in line with harmonizing all-out ties between Tehran and Baghdad.

Al-Maliki's visit came as the United States is pressuring Baghdad to sign an agreement that would allow US soldiers to stay in the country beyond 2008.