Iraqpundit:

The Iranian propaganda machine is saying that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Baghdad was a great success, mostly because the Iranian leader was received so politely by some of Iraq’s leaders. Much of the U.S. coverage of the visit seems in line with this version, the idea being, apparently, to portray Iran as the real beneficiary of Bush’s Mideast policy.But ordinary Iraqis had a different reaction to the event. There are numerous reports of protests against the Iranian president’s visit, and this story says Ahmadinejad thought it the better part of valor to cancel his planned trip to the holy sites of Kerbala and Najaf. 

Indeed, the Arabic report says that Ali Sistani refused to receive Ahmadinejad, which might be a reason the Iranian president chose not to go these sites. After all, it would look strange for him to visit the holy sites and not pass by Sistani’s home. Sistani’s position has been that he does not meet with heads of state.Another reason might be security. There are reports that the U.S. military did not protect Ahmadinejad during his stay in Baghdad. If that’s so, then the drive south would have been risky, even at the political level. Iran’s PR message would have been especially muddled if Ahmadinejad had to face Iraqi protesters along the way.

And from another voice, Alireza Jafarzadeh:

Behind the orchestrated pomp and pageantry during the visit to Baghdad last weekend by the Iranian ayatollahs’ president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, it was hard to miss the revulsion of Iraqis of all stripes. Adjectives like “historic” could not disguise the frustrating reality for Ahmadinejad and the ayatollahs: outside of Iraqi political spheres dominated by Tehran surrogates, they are seen as enemies of a secure, non-sectarian and democratic Iraq.

The greeting parties, in the Baghdad airport and later in various government buildings, were who’s who of Tehran’s proxies in Iraq’s government. They “listened to Ahmadinejad,” according to McClatchy News Service, “without need of translation into Arabic, clearly comfortable hearing his Farsi.” Not surprising; for more than two decades, they were employed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the Qods Force, and the Ministry of Intelligence. Learning Farsi was a job requirement.

Outside of the very limited segment of Baghdad where Ahmadinejad visited, there was outrage. A young Baghdad resident told the New York Times, “I think Ahmadinejad is the most criminal and bloody person in the world. This visit degrades Iraq’s dignity.” Up north in Kirkuk, where Arab tribes and political parties rallied against Ahmadinejad’s visit, a tribal leader told the Times, “How can we tolerate this? Today we live under the regime of the clerics. The Iranian revolution has been exported to Iraq.” An Iraqi businessman added, “His visit is intended to reassure his followers here,” but is “provoking and enraging” the rest of Iraq.