Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met with Donald Trump today in Washington during the US-Iran war: What to expect | Today’s news

Ali al-Zaidi, Iraq’s prime minister, will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington today (July 14) as the US administration pressures Baghdad to curb Iranian influence, AFP news agency reported.

This is Al-Zaidi on his first international trip since taking office in April this year. Al-Zaidi’s week-long tour of Washington, which began on Monday, comes against a backdrop of renewed military escalation between the United States and Iran, Iraq’s main allies.

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Al-Zaidi has already met with US presidential special envoy to Iraq Tom Barrack in Washington, DC, where they discussed strengthening Iraqi-US cooperation, reviewed recent progress in bilateral economic ties and explored ways to expand their strategic partnership, according to an official statement.

The enmity between Washington and Tehran has long turned Iraq into a proxy battleground, leaving successive governments struggling to maintain a delicate balance between the two foes.

Al-Zaidi’s trip to Washington comes at a time when president of the usa Donald Trump formally informed lawmakers that the country was once again at war with Iran and gave his administration 60 days to use the military in the region without congressional approval

Promote economic, trade and investment ties

Oil and gas deals are expected to be signed during Al-Zaidi’s visit as part of a broader push for economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.

“The agreements to be signed will include several memoranda of understanding in the oil and gas sector as Iraq prepares to engage various American companies that will provide an impetus to increase oil production capacity,” government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said on July 13.

Al-Zaidi, who came to power this year, promised to boost Iraq’s fragile economy and disarm pro-Iranian armed groups that have targeted American facilities.

Al-Zaidi hopes to attract US investment after significant revenue losses caused by the halt in oil exports due to the Iran war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported.

“Legitimate monopoly on the use of force”

In an op-ed in the Washington Post before his visit, Al Zaidi wrote that he led “a government committed to ensuring that the state has a legitimate monopoly on the use of force.”

Al Zaidi’s government has given armed groups designated by Washington as terrorist organizations until September 30 to disarm, coinciding with the end of the US-led anti-jihadist coalition mission, AFP reported.

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A senior Iraqi politician told AFP on condition of anonymity that even if the current government adopts a path more friendly to the US and prioritizes the economy, “it does not mean that Iraq is turning against Iran”.

Iraq “must maintain a long-term balance” among its allies, he said.

Last week, Iraq’s holy cities, home to Shia Islam’s holiest shrines, saw a massive funeral procession for the late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed in a US-Israeli attack on Tehran.

US-Iraq relations

Relations between the US and Iraq have been strained due to the continued presence of US troops in Iraq, Baghdad’s ties to Iran, and pressure to disarm Iranian-backed armed groups.

But Trump congratulated Al-Zaidi when he became Iraq’s prime minister in April. The American president then expressed the hope that there will be closer cooperation between Baghdad and Washington after the nomination of Al Zaidi.

Since April, Iraq has signed several agreements with US companies in the oil sector. The US administration under President Trump has also resumed cash deliveries for Iraq’s oil revenues, which have been handled by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York since 2003.

In his WaPo op-ed, Al Zaidi said his message to the United States is that Iraq “stands aside from regional relations and conflicts and instead chooses the path of development.”

Anticipated oil deals

Oil-rich Iraq is trying to move past decades of war and unrest but still suffers from poor infrastructure, failing public services, poor governance and endemic corruption, AFP reported.

In his post, Al-Zaidi said he would create “opportunities that have a measurable economic impact” in Washington and wanted to “lead American companies to consider opportunities in the development of Iraqi infrastructure.”

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During his stay in the US, Al-Zaidi is expected to sign other deals, including one to establish a fund into which Iraq will store half a million barrels of oil a day in exchange for help to increase the country’s electricity supply.

Iraq stands aside from regional relations and conflicts and instead chooses the path of development.

Iraq, a founding member of OPEC, has been greatly affected by the ongoing war in the Middle East. The country is heavily dependent on oil exports, which account for about 90 percent of its budget revenue, and the vast majority of its oil travels through the disputed Strait of Hormuz.

(With input from agencies)