Trump to Host New Iraqi PM at WH       07/14 06:14

   

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump is welcoming Iraq's new prime 
minister to the White House on Tuesday after strongly backing the political 
neophyte in his bid for office.

   Ali al-Zaidi, a businessman with no political background, emerged as a 
consensus candidate in Iraq after months of deadlock over the premiership 
following last year's parliamentary elections. When al-Zaidi was formally 
installed as prime minister-designate in April, Trump said in a social media 
post that it was the "beginning of a tremendous new chapter between our Nations 
-- Prosperity, Stability, and Success like never seen before."

   But Trump's interest and involvement in the next leadership in Iraq began 
long before that statement.

   Iraq's dominant parliamentary bloc, the Coordination Framework, a coalition 
of Shiite parties allied with Iran, initially said it would back former Prime 
Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whom the Trump administration views as too close to 
Tehran. The Republican president publicly announced his opposition to al-Maliki 
and threatened to cut off aid to Iraq if he was appointed, adding that "if we 
are there to help, Iraq has ZERO chance of Success, Prosperity, or Freedom."

   The issue of Iran is likely to loom large in the discussions Tuesday. Iraq 
has been under pressure to disarm a network of Iran-backed militias operating 
in the country, some of which launched attacks on U.S. bases and diplomatic 
facilities after the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran in 
February. Officially, the Iraqi government has given non-state armed groups 
until the end of September to disarm, but some of the most powerful militias 
have said they have no intention of doing so.

   A Trump administration official said 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. The official was granted anonymity 
to discuss the administration's strategy ahead of al-Zaidi's visit.

   Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Chatham House think 
tank, said he expects that "the U.S. will put significant pressure on al-Zaidi" 
to move ahead with disarmament during his Washington visit "and Zaidi will 
respond by saying, 'But I need support -- intelligence support, technical 
support, armed support.'"

   "There is a scenario in which, if the Iraqi government starts going after 
these groups, they will also go after the government," Mansour said. "And this 
is a scenario that I think that the Iraqi government is apprehensive about."

   Al-Zaidi received Trump's blessing, despite the fact that he was chairman of 
a bank, Al-Janoob Islamic Bank, that was among the financial institutions 
banned by Iraq's central bank in 2024 from dealing in dollars amid pressure 
from the U.S. to crack down on money laundering and funneling of funds to Iran.

   Since taking office, al-Zaidi has made a public show of cracking down on 
corruption. His government has conducted raids and arrested dozens of current 
and former lawmakers and government officials accused of corruption, including 
some affiliated with former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

   The Iraqi premier's delegation to Washington includes a number of Iraqi 
businessmen and government officials, and al-Zaidi's office said in a statement 
that the aim of the visit is to "strengthen economic and development 
partnerships, attract investment, and expand the role of U.S. companies in 
implementing infrastructure projects" and to further develop the oil-rich 
country's energy sector.