As part of his Middle Eastern tour, the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, arrived on Tuesday in Iraq on an unannounced visit to discuss security issues, including Iran's file, Shafaq News Agency reported.

A government source said that Austin would meet Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad S. al-Sudani and then head to Erbil, the capital of Kurdish autonomy, where he will meet with the leadership of Iraqi Kurdistan.

The visit "to reaffirm the U.S.-Iraq strategic partnership as we move toward a more secure, stable, and sovereign Iraq," Austin said on Twitter.

Austin started his Middle Eastern tour on March 5 by visiting Jordan. He plans to visit Egypt and Israel, too.