Al-Zaidi

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrives in Iran to meet with President Masoud Pezeshkian

Zaidi's visit also comes more than a week after he met with US President Donald Trump on July 14.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend a welcoming ceremony in Tehran, Iran July 23, 2026.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

Iraq forced to balance US, Iran relations after separate meetings with Trump, Iranian ambassador

Over the last decade, Iraq has been weakened from within because of Iranian-backed militias. Some of the militias have historical ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as they participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington.

US pushes Mediterranean oil pipelines to bypass Strait of Hormuz despite proxy security risks

Middle East correspondent Battaglia said that, in her view, if it were up to al-Zaidi, Baghdad would already have decided to chart its future with the United States rather than with Iran.

|ByGIORGIA VALENTE/THE MEDIA LINE
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as they participate in a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, US, July 14, 2026.

Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi's visit to US, meeting with Trump strengthens US-Iraq ties - analysis

It appears that Trump likes Iraq’s new leader. Zaidi is a former businessperson, like Trump. As such, Zaidi tried to present a new face of Iraq to the White House.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN

Iraq's PM arrives in Washington as US presses Baghdad on Iran-backed militias - analysis

Iraq is already a kind of frontline between the US and Iran. After the US and Israel began strikes on Iran on February 28, the Iranians operationalized militias in Iraq.

JULY 14, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

Iraqi prime minister to visit Washington on Monday, oil and gas deals expected

"The agreements to be signed will include several memorandums of understanding in the oil and gas sector as Iraq prepares to bring in various US companies," a government spokesperson said.

JULY 12, 2026ByREUTERS
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.

US resumes transfer of American currency to Iraq after Iran-related suspension - report

The report cited an Iraqi Kurdish official who attributed the measures as a response to the smuggling of US dollars by Iran-backed Iraqi militias.

JULY 2, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
An American $100 dollar bill.

Iraq PM's anti-corruption raids test resolve against Iran-backed power networks - analysis

That gap between optics and substance could become decisive ahead of Al-Zaidi’s expected Washington visit.

JULY 1, 2026ByGIORGIA VALENTE/THE MEDIA LINE
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a parliamentary session to vote in a new government headed by Ali al-Zaidi as prime minister, at the parliament headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2026.