In his first foreign trip since assuming the premiership, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi arrives in Washington carrying an agenda that appears economic on the surface, but masks one of the most sensitive rounds of negotiation between Baghdad and Washington.

The anticipated meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday comes not only against the backdrop of escalating U.S.-Iranian tensions and fears over the potential closure of the Strait of Hormuz, but also as the Trump administration seeks to redraw Iraq's role in the Middle East by curbing Iranian influence and transforming Baghdad from a conflict zone into a key economic and security partner for the United States.

Statements made by Al-Zaidi prior to the visit reflect a clear attempt to redefine the nature of the relationship with Washington. Instead of a relationship dominated by issues of terrorism and the U.S. military presence, the Iraqi Prime Minister seeks to shift it to a new phase defined by investment, development, and technology.

In an article published by The Washington Post, Al-Zaidi wrote that his goal is to 'move from crisis management to opportunity creation,' asserting that Iraq wants to become an economic partner, not merely a security file in U.S. policy.

Prime Minister Ali Falih Al-Zaidi begins an official visit to the United States today, Monday, leading a high-level official delegation in his first foreign trip since the formation of the government. The visit, which comes at the invitation of U.S. President Donald Trump, aims to develop the trajectory of Iraqi relations... pic.twitter.com/2sNKFAszJR — Media Office of the Prime Minister (@IraqiPMO) July 13, 2026

Al-Zaidi began his meetings with a closed-door session with Tom Barrack, the U.S. Special Envoy to Iraq and Syria, on Monday evening at the Iraqi delegation's residence. The meeting appeared to be a preliminary session to outline the agenda for talks with the Trump administration, discuss the issue of state monopoly on weapons, ending the presence of armed factions outside government control, limiting Iranian influence, and the future of the U.S. military presence after the international coalition's mission concludes on September 30.

Later, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is scheduled to host an honorary reception for the Iraqi Prime Minister before he meets with senior officials at the Pentagon, followed by meetings with members of both houses of Congress.

On Wednesday, Al-Zaidi will meet with the President of the World Bank and the head of the International Finance Corporation, then with the Iraqi community from Michigan, Texas, and California, as well as private sector representatives and scholarship students. He will then head to Houston, Texas, on Thursday, to visit Halliburton, Chevron, and ExxonMobil, and meet with the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

He will hold a roundtable discussion with representatives of energy companies currently operating in Iraq, as well as companies interested in doing business there.

Al-Zaidi returns to Washington on Friday to participate in the high-level business summit organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where participants will discuss 'prospects for economic partnership between Iraq and the United States,' alongside topics related to financial, banking, and digital technologies, and opportunities for expanding bilateral cooperation.

Baghdad's Priorities: Al-Zaidi wants to present his government as an economic reform administration; this is reflected in the composition of the Iraqi delegation, which includes 27 ministers and senior officials, including the ministers of oil, electricity, trade, and foreign affairs, the Central Bank governor, the national security advisor, and businessmen.

Iraqi government spokesperson Haider Al-Aboudi told reporters that the oil file occupies an important part of the discussions, in order to seek new outlets for exporting Iraqi oil to avoid the damages of any closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Nearly 90 percent of Iraq's oil exports, which total 3.4 million barrels per day, pass through the strait.

The Prime Minister had previously stated that Iraq seeks to increase its oil production to 7 million barrels per day over the next three years.

Iraqi officials indicated that the primary message the delegation carries is to convince American investors that Iraq is seeking long-term partnerships in the fields of energy, the digital economy, artificial intelligence, and infrastructure. However, Washington views this economic agenda from a different angle; it believes that the success of any U.S. investment first requires a stable security environment that encourages American companies to come to Iraq, which brings the issue of armed factions back to the forefront of the discussions.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi receiving U.S. Envoy Tom Barrack at his residence in Washington, July 13, 2026 (Government Media).

What Trump Wants: Although the visit's schedule officially focuses on economy and investment, security files will be strongly present at the White House table.

The Trump administration's priorities consist of three main issues: ensuring the Iraqi state's monopoly on weapons, ending the influence of Iran-linked armed factions, preventing Iraqi territory from being used as a platform to target U.S. forces or interests, and building an economic partnership that grants U.S. companies a prominent position in oil, energy, and infrastructure projects.

Washington believes that the success of the Al-Zaidi government in fulfilling its pledges regarding the state monopoly on weapons will be the true test of its new relationship with the U.S. administration.

For his part, Al-Zaidi is trying to convince the U.S. administration that his government has achieved rapid progress in less than 60 days, both in fighting corruption and in integrating some factions into state institutions, but he realizes that Washington will measure his success by his ability to deal with the factions most closely linked to Tehran, and he is asking Washington to provide intelligence, technical, and military support to his government.

The stances of these factions have complicated the mission days before the visit, as the group calling itself the 'Islamic Resistance in Iraq' announced its refusal to surrender weapons, set a series of political conditions, and warned against replacing military occupation with economic occupation through American companies.

The leader of 'Kata'ib Hezbollah,' Abu Hussein Al-Hamidawi, also escalated his rhetoric, calling on the government to what he termed 'comply with the will of the resistance,' and confirming the faction's continued alignment with the Iranian axis.

Washington realizes that these positions do not target the Iraqi government alone, but also constitute a direct message to the Trump administration that reducing Iranian influence within Iraq will not be an easy task.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at Najaf Airport, Iraq, shortly before the funeral of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (Reuters).

Between Washington and Tehran: Al-Zaidi finds himself facing a complex equation; he wants to build a strategic relationship with the United States, but at the same time, he cannot enter into a direct confrontation with Iran, which still possesses broad political and security influence within Iraq. For this reason, he has emphasized on more than one occasion that Iraq 'will not join any axis,' and that Baghdad seeks to play the role of mediator between Washington and Tehran, rather than being part of the conflict between them.