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US President Donald Trump on Tuesday (local time) hosted newly appointed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in the White House and declared that while American forces are prepared to shield Iraq from external threats, he expects military intervention will no longer be required, claiming that Iran is no longer a burden for Iraq.
During a bilateral meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister in the Oval Office, Trump noted that this first face-to-face engagement between the two leaders since al-Zaidi took office highlighted an immediate alignment on economic and strategic priorities. "We have a tremendous chemistry together... he won an election that a lot of people didn't anticipate... it was very important to me to have somebody get in there that can do the job and do it well," he stated. Reflecting on past US foreign policy blunders, the President reiterated his long-standing criticism of the initial 2003 invasion of Iraq. "If you remember, even though I was a civilian... I used to say, 'Don't go into Iraq. Don't attack Iraq.' Frankly, they attacked the wrong country, and they did a lot of damage," Trump remarked. "We're there to protect them if need be, but we don't think that's going to be necessary," Trump stated, charting a trajectory toward a post-military, business-first relationship. However, Trump noted that the regional geopolitical landscape has shifted fundamentally toward commercial collaboration, with major corporate partnerships picking up rapid momentum. "The oil companies are all going in now and they're doing partnerships with Iraq, and they're getting along very well. The relationship is a whole big relationship where we don't need the military there... We're there to protect them if need be, but we don't think that's going to be necessary," Trump stated, adding, "Iran was a big burden on Iraq...but they're not going to have that problem anymore." Trump welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the White House earlier in the day. Expressing his optimism regarding the meeting, Trump said, "We love Iraq... this man just won a big election. They are very well represented, I can tell you that." The meeting comes as US President Donald Trump reclaimed total control over the Strait of Hormuz and announced that the critical maritime chokepoint is now fully open to all international shipping traffic, while declaring that a previously proposed 20% transit reimbursement fee will be entirely replaced by massive new trade and investment deals with Gulf nations. Detailing a major shift in how the US intends to offset its naval operational costs, Trump revealed that negotiations with Middle Eastern leadership had prompted him to swap the controversial 20 per cent maritime transit fee for "Trade and Investment Deals" which he claimed will be made by the Gulf states into Washington. Notably, Iraq has been among the hardest hit by these regional disruptions, particularly due to the volatile security environment surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, the vital maritime transit route through which the vast majority of Iraq's 3.4 million barrels per day of crude oil exports previously passed. (ANI)
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