Iraqi parliament Speaker Al-Mashhadani meets US ambassador to discuss bilateral ties

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani met with U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski on Monday. During the meeting, Romanowski congratulated Al-Mashhadani on his recent election as speaker and discussed ways to strengthen the U.S.-Iraq partnership. The talks also included a review of the current Middle East situation, according to a statement from Al-Mashhadani’s office.

Al-Mashhadani was elected speaker in late October, ending nearly a year of political stalemate following the removal of former speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi by the judiciary.

Backed by Sunni parties, the Shia Coordination Framework, and Kurdish factions, Al-Mashhadani won 182 votes out of 269 members present in the final round of voting. The first round saw four candidates—Salem al-Issawi, Mahmoud al-Mashhadani, Talal Zobaie, and Amer Abdul Jabbar—competing, but none achieved the majority required to win. Al-Mashhadani led the first round with 153 votes, followed by al-Issawi with 95, Abdul Jabbar with 9, and 14 invalid ballots.

Full statement from Al-Mashhadani’s media office:

The Speaker of the Parliament, Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani, received the United States Ambassador to Iraq, Ms. Alina Romanowski, today, Monday.

Romanowski offered her congratulations on Al-Mashhadani’s assumption of the role of Speaker of the Parliament and reiterated the United States’ support for Iraq and its government across various fields. The two sides discussed a number of topics of mutual interest.

The meeting addressed the strengthening of cooperation and the ongoing partnership between the United States and Iraq, as well as an examination of the situation in the Middle East.

Dr. Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani emphasized the importance of resolving the security agreement file by the end of 2025.