Iraq's Defence Minister Saadoun al-Dalimi was in the Iranian capital Teheran on Wednesday for talks with his Iranian counterpart Ali Shamkhnai, the Iranian students' news agency ISNA reported.

It's been reported that Al-Dalimi and Shamkhani will discuss bilateral military ties and inspect several military and industrial sites.

The Iraqi minister, who arrived in Teheran Tuesday night, will also meet with other high-ranking political officials.

The visit by the Iraqi Defence Minister will be the first military delegation to visit the country since the toppling of Saddam Hussein.

In a released statement, the defence ministry said the visit was at the invitation of Dulaimi's Iranian counterpart, Ali Shamkhani.

Iraq's armed forces chief of staff as well as the heads of the army, air force and navy are also part of the delegation, due to meet senior political and military leaders and visit military and industrial sites.

Both countries were involved in a devastating eight-year war from 1980 to 1988 in which an estimated one million people died and only ended through United Nations mediation and after both sides accepted UN resolution 598. Iran however still demands war damages from Iraq.

Last May the Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi travelled to Iraq becoming the highest-ranking Iranian official to visit Baghdad since the fall of Saddam's regime in April 2003.