Zaidi touts ‘new phase’ with US as visit concludes

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi pledged to advance Iraq’s strategic economic partnership with the United States as he concluded his official visit to Washington and returned to Baghdad, saying recently signed agreements and memoranda of understanding would open “a new phase” in bilateral relations.

In a post on X on Friday, Zaidi thanked the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and the American people for their reception, and said his government was determined to build on the visit’s outcomes to strengthen mutual trust and reinforce stability and prosperity in Iraq and the region.

The statement follows a series of agreements announced during the visit. Iraqi government agencies and private companies signed 48 agreements, memoranda of understanding and other cooperation arrangements with U.S. companies in the oil, electricity, industrial, technology and financial sectors, according to the Prime Minister’s Media Office. The office said the arrangements were intended to establish a framework for economic and financial cooperation but did not disclose the full texts or specify how many were binding contracts.

The visit also included meetings with Trump at the White House, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Discussions focused on expanding economic cooperation and U.S. investment, security cooperation, and Iraq’s transition ahead of the planned conclusion of the U.S.-led coalition mission in September.

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