Al-Zaidi at the White House: A sustainable partnership or just crisis management?

Al-Zaidi at the White House: A sustainable partnership or just crisis management?

2026-07-13

Shafaq News – Baghdad
On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi headed to the US capital, Washington, at the head of a high-level governmental and economic delegation, in what is considered his first visit since taking office, amid complex regional circumstances, most notably the renewed tension between the United States and Iran, and its potential repercussions on Iraq and energy markets.

The visit encompasses multiple dimensions, starting with strengthening economic and investment relations between Baghdad and Washington, passing through security issues and restricting weapons to the state, and reaching the discussion of the future of the strategic relationship between the two countries at a stage in which the Iraqi government seeks to move from crisis management to building long-term partnerships.

Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi confirmed that the visit’s agenda focuses on developing economic and investment relations, particularly in the oil, gas, energy, technology, and infrastructure sectors, noting that Iraq seeks to bring in specialized American companies to increase the production capacity of the oil sector, diversify energy export outlets, and reduce dependence on the Strait of Hormuz.

He also explains that the visit will include discussions on memoranda of understanding and strategic agreements, including projects related to an “Iraqi-American” fund for development and energy, within the framework of a government approach to transforming the relationship with the United States from a relationship based on security files to an economic and developmental partnership.

A new relationship with Washington

In this context, Essam Al-Faily, a professor of political science at Al-Mustansiriya University, believes that Al-Zaidi’s visit comes within the framework of confirming the nature of the relationship between Iraq and the United States, especially in light of the support that the Prime Minister has received from the American administration since the formation of his government.

Al-Faily told Shafaq News Agency, “Al-Zaidi took steps that strengthened this path, by focusing on files that the American administration was demanding, foremost among them combating corruption and the issue of uncontrolled weapons.”

He adds that “the visit, in practical terms, concerns Iraqi-American affairs, and will address political, economic, military and security issues related to the nature of the relationship between the two countries.”

He points out that “US President Donald Trump was keen to provide clear support to al-Zaidi, whether by blessing his accession to the premiership or by trying to open a new path away from the traditional political class that had been running the scene during the past years.”

According to Al-Faily, this support gives the impression that Washington wants to establish a new phased relationship with Iraq based on practical issues, most notably combating corruption, controlling weapons outside the framework of the state, and expanding American investments.

He points out that “the activation of the Strategic Framework Agreement between Iraq and the United States, especially on the economic side, has been hampered in recent years by obstacles related to corruption and uncontrolled weapons, and therefore the current government is trying to take practical steps to address these issues.”

Al-Faily continues, saying that “the proposal to establish a joint sovereign wealth fund between Iraq and the United States with a reserve of up to 500 million barrels of oil reflects an attempt to present a new model of cooperation, and gives a message to the American administration that Baghdad is dealing with the partnership in a different way than previous governments, many of whose agreements with Washington remained within the protocol framework.”

He affirms that “all these indicators give the impression that the United States is moving towards strengthening the political and economic relationship with Iraq during the next phase.”

The regional file is present

With renewed escalation between Washington and Tehran, questions arise about whether Iraq can play a role in calming regional tensions, especially given its geographical location and the interconnectedness of its interests with both sides.

In this regard, Hassan Fad’am, a leader in the Wisdom Movement headed by Ammar al-Hakim, believes that the regional file will be present in the discussions of the visit, but it will not be the only focus.

Fadaam told Shafaq News Agency that “the protocol and agenda prepared in advance for the visit will determine the nature of the discussions,” indicating that “the issue of tension or skirmishes between the United States and Iran will be present as it is a file directly related to the Iraqi economy and the political and security situation.”

He points out that “the international community is aware that Iraq is greatly affected by any escalation in the region, and therefore discussing the security of the region and ways to calm tensions will be among the issues raised.”

But Fad’am ruled out the possibility that al-Zaidi’s visit would resolve the US-Iranian dispute, saying that “this issue is complex and will not end with a dialogue or meeting between the Iraqi Prime Minister and the US President within a few hours.”

According to the leader, there are major countries that possess detailed files on this issue and have been conducting negotiations for months without reaching final results. Therefore, it cannot be expected that a single visit will resolve this matter. He indicated that the talks will focus primarily on files related to Iraq, including the economy, security stability, bilateral relations, and the future of the American presence after the end of the coalition forces’ mission in Iraq at the end of next September, as well as expanding American investments and the work of American companies within the country.

Economic and investment files

For his part, MP Safaa Lafteh, from the Sadiqun bloc (the political wing of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq movement led by Qais al-Khazali), says that the visit of the Prime Minister and his accompanying delegation is mainly related to the bilateral relations between Baghdad and Washington.

Speaking to Shafaq News Agency, he added that “the aim of the visit is to strengthen the Iraqi state and political system and to regulate economic, trade and investment relations between the two countries,” explaining that “regional conditions may be present on the sidelines of the meeting, but the main focus is on the issues related to Iraq’s direct interests.”

The Iraqi MP says that the current stage requires strengthening the state’s ability to build balanced relationships that serve the Iraqi economy and support internal stability.

Oil and the revenue crisis

In the same context, MP Ahmed Dagher, from the Reconstruction and Development Coalition headed by Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, told Shafaq News Agency that Iraq is facing economic challenges mainly related to its heavy reliance on oil exports.

According to the MP, Iraq faced an economic crisis as a result of not exporting oil, which represents the primary source of the national economy. He added that “Al-Zaidi’s visit to Washington comes within a set of solutions that Iraq needs at this stage, especially since some crises are linked to internal factors and require governmental steps to diversify sources of oil exports.”

Dagher concludes his remarks by noting that “the hope is that the visit will achieve practical results that serve Iraq and help in addressing the economic challenges.”

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