US State Department to Shafaq News: Al-Zaidi must fulfill his promises to Trump
US State Department to Shafaq News: Al-Zaidi must fulfill his promises to Trump
2026-10-22
Shafaq News – Washington
Mustafa Hashim
The US State Department confirmed on Wednesday that Washington expects Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi to fulfill the pledges he made to President Donald Trump during his visit to the United States last July, while accusing Iran of exploiting armed factions to plunder Iraqi resources and threaten their country’s sovereignty.
A spokesperson for the US State Department told Shafaq News Agency that “the United States expects Prime Minister al-Zaidi to fulfill the commitments he made to President Trump last July, which are to combat terrorism, prevent attacks within or originating from Iraqi territory, and build a US-Iraqi partnership that serves the interests of both countries.”
The spokesman added, “Our goal remains unchanged: a sovereign, secure, and prosperous Iraq that meets the needs of its people and contributes to strengthening the stability of the region.”
The spokesman also stressed that “Iran has no constructive role to play in this endeavor,” describing it as “an untrustworthy party with a long history of using Iraqi militias to plunder the resources of the Iraqi people and threaten their sovereignty.”
This stance comes at a time when US pressure is mounting on Baghdad to tighten control over border crossings with Iran, amid fears that they are being used to transport equipment and materials that could reach armed groups.
On Wednesday morning, Iraqi authorities closed the Al-Shaib border crossing with Iran in Maysan Governorate until further notice, based on directives issued from Baghdad, according to a source in the governorate council who spoke to Shafaq News Agency on Tuesday evening, attributing the measure to technical reasons, the nature of which he did not explain.
The most prominent recent security understandings between Baghdad and Washington date back to al-Zaidi’s visit to the White House on July 14, and his meeting with President Trump, where the issue of armed factions and preventing attacks launched from Iraqi territory topped the discussions between the two sides, in addition to the future of security and economic cooperation.
During his meeting with al-Zaidi on September 21, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated the need to dismantle armed militias, prevent attacks originating from Iraq, and strengthen state sovereignty over its territory.
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