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White House welcome
President Donald Trump welcomed Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, at the White House on Tuesday, praising the “tremendous chemistry” between the two leaders and describing al-Zaidi as “going to be a great leader in the Middle East, beyond Iraq.”
The AP reported that al-Zaidi emerged as a consensus candidate in Iraq after months of deadlock over the premiership following last year’s parliamentary elections, and that Trump endorsed him after threatening to cut off U.S. support for Iraq if another candidate became prime minister.
Al-Zaidi told reporters that the focus of his U.S. visit would be to announce an “economic partnership” between the two countries, while the issue of Iran loomed large in discussions about disarming Iran-backed militias operating in Iraq.
The AP said the Iraqi government has given non-state armed groups until the end of September to disarm, but that some of the most powerful militias have said they have no intention of doing so, and al-Zaidi stressed on Tuesday that there will be no justification for their existence after Sept. 30.
In a separate report, The Hill said Trump offered a warm welcome to al-Zaidi “with an eye toward giving American companies premier access” to Iraq’s “tremendous” oil reserves during the Oval Office meeting.
Disarmament pressure
The AP said a Trump administration official told reporters ahead of the Oval Office meeting that the U.S. will make “informed” decisions based on Iraq’s efforts to disarm Iranian-backed militias inside its borders, while Renad Mansour of Chatham House said he expects Washington to put “significant pressure on al-Zaidi.”
Mansour told the AP that “Zaidi will respond by saying, ‘But I need support — intelligence support, technical support, armed support,’” and warned that there is a scenario in which groups could “also go after the government.”
The National reported that al-Zaidi reaffirmed his government’s commitment to a September 30 deadline for all armed groups to hand over their weapons during his first meeting with Trump at the White House.
Al-Zaidi said, “After September 30, we will not allow any entity besides the state to carry any weapons,” and The National quoted a White House official saying the U.S. has been clear that Iraq must “retain their sovereignty and prevent attacks from within its borders by Iranian-backed militias.”
In the same context of U.S. pressure, Al Jazeera reported that both leaders said remaining U.S. forces in Iraq, believed to number less than 2,000, would completely withdraw from Iraq by September 30, matching the date al-Zaidi pledged that armed factions would disarm.
Oil deals and deadlines
Alongside disarmament, the AP said the two governments were poised to finalize a significant energy deal, with two Iraqi officials saying an agreement is slated to be signed Friday between Iraq, U.S. companies Chevron and TI Capital, and Qatar’s UCC for construction of an oil pipeline.
The Hill similarly reported that the Iraqi government is expected to sign a deal with Chevron and TI Capital along with Qatar’s UCC construction to build an oil pipeline connecting Iraq to maritime ports in Turkey and Syria, as Trump linked the talks to access for American companies to Iraq’s “tremendous” oil reserves.
Deutsche Welle reported that al-Zaidi said the U.S. troops are set to fully withdraw from Iraq by September 30, and Trump said at the White House, “Well, we don’t think we need the military there anymore.”
Al-Zaidi told reporters, “On September 30th, American forces will leave, and American companies will enter,” and he added, “After 30 September, we will not allow any entity to bear arms outside the state,” tying the troop timeline to the disarmament deadline.
In a separate statement carried by Al Jazeera, al-Zaidi said the visit was the beginning of an “economic partnership,” while Trump said, “We’re going to be doing a lot of deals,” and “We’re going to create a lot of jobs for both countries, and we’re going to be taking out a lot of oil.”
