Zaidi’s Washington visit to focus on economy and investment, spox says

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s upcoming visit to Washington will focus on strengthening Iraq-U.S. relations, with economic, trade and investment issues leading the agenda, government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said Tuesday.

Al-Aboudi told the Iraqi News Agency that Zaidi will travel to Washington in mid-July on an official visit aimed at reinforcing cooperation. “The visit aims at establishing the necessary momentum to enhance the Iraqi-American partnership and elevate it to an effective level within the strategic relationship between the two countries,” he said, adding that the agenda reflects the government’s priorities and the ministerial program approved by parliament. “Economic, commercial and investment files will be at the forefront of the anticipated visit as the cornerstone of bilateral cooperation.”

Aboudi said the government is seeking to expand cooperation with international companies and stimulate the investment environment “in a way that contributes to achieving direct benefits for the Iraqi economy.” He also said the government continues working to restrict the possession and use of unregulated weapons to the state and its specialized institutions, “the entities constitutionally authorized to make sovereign decisions in this field.”

The disarmament initiative gained momentum in early June after the Coordination Framework endorsed a plan to restrict weapons to state control and authorized Zaidi to implement it. A government committee including the Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry, Joint Operations Command and the PMF was formed to oversee the handover of weapons, equipment and military sites. Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Saraya al-Salam and the Imam Ali Battalions have backed the initiative, while Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada have rejected disarmament.

The planned visit follows al-Zaidi’s meeting with U.S. presidential envoy Tom Barrack in Baghdad. Barrack arrived Monday, received by Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris and embassy staff, and said on X he would convey Trump’s support for the government and discuss a “partnership on a new direction” in bilateral relations. He also met Chief Justice Faiq Zaidan, praising what the Supreme Judicial Council described as “the role of the judiciary in completing the constitutional entitlements and the formation of the legislative and executive authorities.”