Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has arrived in Iran to hold talks with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The trip comes one day after the Guardian newspaper reported Iran helped broker the deal that resulted in Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr backing al-Maliki’s attempt to form a new government. Since elections were held in March, al-Maliki and former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi have been locked in a protracted battle over who will serve as prime minister. On Sunday, Allawi accused Iran of trying to destabilize Iraq and the region.