Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi praised the outcome of his Washington visit amid broad public support but political divisions at home. Iran, meanwhile, officially distanced itself from critical remarks of the visit made by Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to its supreme leader.
Velayati had described al-Zaidi as “inexperienced” and also slammed the timing of the visit as it took place shortly after the days-long funeral of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed at the beginning of the US-Israel war on Iran.
Tehran sought to distance itself from his comments with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi informing his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein on Sunday that bilateral ties should not be affected by “personal and unofficial” remarks.
He described Iranian-Iraqi ties as deep-rooted and strategic, underpinned by historical, cultural and religious ties and shared interests.
Concluding his five-day US trip, al-Zaidi thanked President Donald Trump’s administration and the American people for their warm reception.
“Our government remains determined to translate the strategic economic partnership between the two friendly countries into reality,” he wrote on X, citing the agreements and memorandums of understanding signed during the visit.
He said they could usher in a new phase of bilateral relations based on shared interests, while strengthening coordination to promote stability and prosperity in Iraq and the wider region.
Iraq and the United States signed 48 agreements during the visit that require parliamentary approval. Memorandums of understanding signed alongside them can take effect without ratification.
Opponents of the visit, particularly Iran-aligned armed factions, viewed the outcome with suspicion. They fear that implementing even some of the deals could elevate Baghdad’s relationship with Washington, while diminishing cooperation with Tehran, particularly following an agreement between Iraq’s central bank and the US Treasury aimed at curbing the smuggling of funds to Iran.
Al-Zaidi described the banking agreement as an important step toward reforming the financial sector and integrating it into the global system.
He said seven Iraqi banks had been cleared to resume foreign correspondent banking in currencies other than the dollar, paving the way for restoring their eligibility to conduct US dollar transactions once compliance and governance requirements are met.
Abdulrahman al-Jubouri, head of the Academy for Political Development and Good Governance, told Asharq Al-Awsat implementing the visit’s agenda would signal that Iraq had abandoned its traditional balanced policy in favor of closer alignment with the West.
Talib Mohammed Karim, a professor of political thought at Mustansiriyah University, was more cautious. In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said it was too early to speak of a fundamental shift in Iraqi-US relations, but the visit represented an attempt to “redefine” them by moving beyond security and military issues toward economic, investment and energy cooperation.
