Al-Zaidi Urges Weapon Control and Iraq as US-Iran Meeting Point

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi emphasized that the relationship with the United States should shift from a military focus to an economic partnership, stating that "the economy is what creates bonds between peoples, not military presence."

In an interview with the American magazine The Atlantic, Al-Zaidi revealed that he advised US President Donald Trump against launching a military strike on Iran, emphasizing that negotiations are more important. He stressed that "Iraq must be a meeting point, not a battleground between the United States and Iran."

Al-Zaidi highlighted that "we have no choice but to restrict weapons to the hands of the state and hand them over to it," declaring that "we rejected the transformation of Iraq into a failed state, and my government is committed to combating corruption and strengthening state authority." He pointed out that "economic development and providing job opportunities are the real path to stability, because a citizen who has a future will not resort to war or sectarianism."

He explained that he has discussed establishing a thirty-year investment partnership between Iraq and the United States based on investment and technology instead of military presence, noting that "the recent war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused significant losses to the Iraqi economy."

Al-Zaidi also called on investors to "view Iraq as a promising investment opportunity," adding that "I am ready to bear the consequences of my reform project."