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Iraqi Prime Minister Visits Washington to Court U.S. Energy Investment

The trip aims to lock in U.S. oil and gas deals to revive Iraq’s battered oil income.

Overview

  • Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Washington on Monday for a week-long visit to meet President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials.
  • Iraq and U.S. firms are expected to sign several memorandums of understanding in oil, gas and power that Baghdad says will boost production and attract U.S. investment.
  • The United States has resumed transfers of Iraq’s oil revenue through the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, a move Baghdad sees as financial support for the recovery of state finances.
  • Al-Zaidi has presented anti-corruption raids carried out in late June as proof of reform, a gesture meant to reassure Washington even as Baghdad faces heavy domestic limits on change.
  • Washington is pressing Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed militias before a September 30 deadline, but major militia groups have publicly rejected surrendering heavy weapons and disarmament remains unresolved.