{"id":82290,"date":"2026-06-16T08:17:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T12:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/iraq-pm-plans-mid-july-washington-visit-to-strengthen-economic-ties-with-u-s\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T08:17:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T12:17:18","slug":"iraq-pm-plans-mid-july-washington-visit-to-strengthen-economic-ties-with-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/iraq-pm-plans-mid-july-washington-visit-to-strengthen-economic-ties-with-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"Iraq PM Plans Mid-July Washington Visit to Strengthen Economic Ties with U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"450\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781612238212.jpg?resize=450%2C300&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-82289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781612238212.jpg?w=450&amp;ssl=1 450w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781612238212.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p>BAGHDAD \u2014 Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is set to travel to Washington in mid-July as part of an effort to deepen the strategic relationship between Iraq and the United States, with a particular focus on economic partnerships, trade, and attracting investment, according to a government spokesperson.<\/p><p>Spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi characterized the upcoming trip as an initiative &#8220;to enhance the Iraqi-U.S. partnership based on mutual interests.&#8221;<\/p><p>&#8220;The government aims to broaden the horizons of our strategic partnership with global companies and stimulate an investment-friendly environment that contributes tangible benefits to the Iraqi economy while strengthening internal stability,&#8221; al-Aboudi told the state news agency.<\/p><p>Since assuming office in May, al-Zaidi has made it clear that revitalizing Iraq&#8217;s economy, drawing in foreign investors, and fighting corruption are top priorities for his administration.<\/p><p>Iraq is working to lessen its dependence on oil revenues while confronting long-standing issues such as high unemployment \u2014 particularly among younger Iraqis \u2014 and deteriorating infrastructure.<\/p><p>Al-Zaidi&#8217;s path forward is not without obstacles. He must contend with the influence of Iran-backed militias, deeply rooted corruption, and the delicate task of managing relationships with both Washington and Tehran simultaneously.<\/p><p>The announcement of the Washington visit comes shortly after the U.S. and Iran reached an interim agreement to bring an end to the conflict in the Middle East, a development that is expected to put al-Zaidi&#8217;s diplomatic balancing skills to the test.<\/p><p>Following his nomination for the prime ministerial role in April, al-Zaidi received a congratulatory message from U.S. President Donald Trump, who expressed hope for stronger cooperation between Baghdad and Washington.<\/p><p>The two countries are bound by a strategic framework agreement that addresses security, economic, and cultural cooperation. Even so, the relationship has faced periodic strain over issues including the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq, Baghdad&#8217;s ties with neighboring Iran, and American pressure on Iraq to rein in Iran-aligned armed factions.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is planning a trip to Washington in mid-July to strengthen strategic and economic ties between Iraq and the United States. The visit will focus on trade, investment, and broader cooperation between the two nations. The trip comes amid complex diplomatic conditions, including a recently announced interim deal between the U.S. and Iran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":82289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[832],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-82290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1781612238212.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-lpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":58253,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/iraqi-coalition-selects-banking-executive-as-new-prime-minister-candidate\/","url_meta":{"origin":82290,"position":0},"title":"Iraqi Coalition Selects Banking Executive as New Prime Minister Candidate","author":"Admin","date":"April 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Iraq's leading parliamentary coalition has chosen Ali al-Zaidi, a businessman with no prior political experience, as their nominee for prime minister. The selection comes after weeks of political negotiations and follows U.S. opposition to their previous candidate.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777323080540.jpg?fit=1000%2C660&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777323080540.jpg?fit=1000%2C660&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777323080540.jpg?fit=1000%2C660&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777323080540.jpg?fit=1000%2C660&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66733,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/iraqi-parliament-confirms-14-ministers-stalls-on-key-security-posts\/","url_meta":{"origin":82290,"position":1},"title":"Iraqi Parliament Confirms 14 Ministers, Stalls on Key Security Posts","author":"Admin","date":"May 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Iraq's legislature approved 14 of 23 cabinet positions for Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi's government on Thursday, but failed to confirm nominees for interior, education and planning roles. The new administration faces challenges including weapons control and managing relationships between the U.S. and Iran.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778787618031.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778787618031.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778787618031.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1778787618031.jpg?fit=1000%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":75602,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/major-iraqi-militia-agrees-to-transfer-weapons-to-government-control\/","url_meta":{"origin":82290,"position":2},"title":"Major Iraqi Militia Agrees to Transfer Weapons to Government Control","author":"Admin","date":"June 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq announced it will place its weapons under state control, marking a significant step for the government's efforts to reign in independent armed groups. The move comes as Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi works to establish state monopoly over weapons amid pressure from Washington.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780419102598.jpg?fit=1000%2C680&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780419102598.jpg?fit=1000%2C680&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780419102598.jpg?fit=1000%2C680&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780419102598.jpg?fit=1000%2C680&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59923,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trump-offers-support-to-iraqs-new-prime-minister-nominee-ali-al-zaidi\/","url_meta":{"origin":82290,"position":3},"title":"Trump Offers Support to Iraq&#8217;s New Prime Minister Nominee Ali al-Zaidi","author":"Admin","date":"April 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Former President Donald Trump extended congratulations to Ali al-Zaidi following his nomination as Iraq's next prime minister by a coalition of Shiite political groups. Trump expressed optimism for stronger U.S.-Iraq relations and hopes for a terrorism-free government.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1777577051284.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":78058,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/fatal-bus-crash-in-iraq-leaves-21-dead-19-injured-near-nassiriya\/","url_meta":{"origin":82290,"position":4},"title":"Fatal Bus Crash in Iraq Leaves 21 Dead, 19 Injured Near Nassiriya","author":"Admin","date":"June 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A passenger bus overturned and caught fire on a highway near the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya on Sunday, killing 21 people and injuring 19 others. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has ordered an investigation into the deadly accident.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;World News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"World News","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/world-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780863817192.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780863817192.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780863817192.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780863817192.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780863817192.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":59969,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/trump-endorses-iraqs-new-pm-choice-extends-white-house-invitation\/","url_meta":{"origin":82290,"position":5},"title":"Trump Endorses Iraq&#8217;s New PM Choice, Extends White House Invitation","author":"Admin","date":"April 30, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"President Trump has expressed support for Iraq's newly selected prime minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi and invited him to visit Washington. 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