Barak: Iraq is leading a strategic alliance linking the Gulf, the Levant, Egypt, and Turkey.
Barak: Iraq is leading a strategic alliance linking the Gulf, the Levant, Egypt, and Turkey.
2026-07-17
Shafaq News – Washington
Mustafa Hashim
The US President’s envoy to Iraq, Tom Barrack, confirmed on Friday that Iraq is leading security and strategic alliances in the region by linking the Gulf states, the Levant, Turkey and Egypt together.
In his address to the US-Iraq Business Summit, which was attended by a Shafaq News Agency correspondent, Barak said that “strategies based on diplomacy, intelligence and the military often follow the lead of the business sector,” stressing that companies and business leaders are “the best diplomats” who are leading the way in the fields of energy, electricity and regional interconnection.
He pointed out that Iraq is leading a new security and strategic alliance linking Mesopotamia, the Levant, and the Gulf (Syria, Jordan, Türkiye, Lebanon, and Egypt).
He added: This project would shift reliance from maritime shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to land routes and integrated logistics connectivity, thus reducing the strategic importance of the strait within two years.
He stressed the importance of the “Middle Corridor” that extends from Turkey and Azerbaijan through Central Asia, which will contribute to pumping huge quantities of gas towards Europe, describing this trade link as the real alternative to military conflict policies.
Barak criticized past foreign policies toward the region, stressing that interventions and attempts to change regimes have not succeeded, and that the region needs strong leaders with clarity and transparency to achieve prosperity.
Barak expressed his optimism and great confidence in the leadership of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, calling on the American and international business sector to provide support and confidence for its investments to resolve this transitional phase and transform the past two decades of turmoil into a sustainable security and economic partnership.
shafaq.com
