Iraq PM Ali al-Zaidi meets Donald Trump in Washington today amid US-Iran war: What to expect

Published 14 July 2026 · politics

Ali al-Zaidi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington today, 14 July as the American administration piles pressure on

Ali al-Zaidi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, will meet US President Donald Trump in Washington today, 14 July as the American administration piles pressure on Baghdad to curb Iranian influence, news agency AFP said. This is Al-Zaidi's in his first international trip since taking office in April this year. Al-Zaidi's week-long tour, to Washington, that began on Monday, comes against the backdrop of renewed military escalation between the United States and Iran, Iraq's main allies. Al-Zaidi has alreadt met US Special Presidential Envoy to Iraq Tom Barrack in Washington, DC, where they discussed strengthening Iraq-US cooperation, reviewed recent progress in bilateral economic ties, and explored ways to expand their strategic partnership, according to an official statement. Washington and Tehran's enmity has long turned Iraq into a proxy battleground and left successive governments struggling to maintain a delicate balance between the two foes. Al-Zaidi's Washington trip comes at a time when the US President Donald Trump has formally informed lawmakers that the country is once again at war with Iran, giving his administration 60 days to use the military in the region without congressional approval Push for economic, trade, and investment ties During Al- Zaidi's visit, oil and gas deals are expected ⁠to be signed as part of a broader push for economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries.

“The agreements to be signed will include several memorandums of understanding in the oil and gas sector, as Iraq prepares to bring in various US companies that will provide momentum to increase oil production capacity,” Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said on 13 July. Al- Zaidi, who came to power arluer this year, has vowed to boost Iraq's fragile economy and to disarm the pro-Iran armed groups that have targeted US 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 closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Al Jazeera reported. 'Legitimate monopoly on the use of force' In an op-ed in the Washington Post ahead of his visit, Al Zaidi wrote that he leads "a government committed to ensuring that the state possesses the legitimate monopoly on the use of force". Al Zaidi's government has given armed groups, which Washington designates as terrorist organisations, until September 30 to disarm, coinciding with the end of the US-led anti-jihadist coalition's mission, AFP said. A senior Iraqi politician told AFP on condition of anonymity that even if the current government adopts a more US-friendly path, prioritising the economy, "it doesn't mean that Iraq is turning against Iran".