Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Chia al-Soudani left Baghdad on Saturday for the United States where he will meet American President Joe Biden, in an explosive regional context fueled by the war in Gaza and tensions with Iran.
According to the White House, Joe Biden must receive the head of the Iraqi government on April 15 – Monday – to discuss the strengthening of a
“solid bilateral partnership”
and
the “evolution of the mission”
of an international anti-jihadist coalition led by Washington and stationed in Iraq and Syria.
“Prime Minister Mohamed Chia al-Soudani leaves the capital Baghdad for the United States. [It is] an official visit at the invitation of American President Joe Biden,”
according to a press release from his services.
Iranian threats
The trip also comes at a time when Iran has threatened to retaliate for a deadly attack on its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus, blamed on Israel. The American president expects Tehran to take
action
“soon” .
“This visit comes in a delicate and sensitive context, whether at the level of bilateral relations or the situation in the region,”
said Mr. Soudani in a televised address on Saturday, referring to the war in the Gaza Strip opposing Israel to Palestinian Hamas and its repercussions.
“Our meeting with President Biden will address this regional situation and its escalation, as well as the role we have played together (...) to maintain calm, stop the war, and prevent the arena of "conflict does not widen in the region,"
assured Mohamed Chia al-Soudani.
Working towards de-escalation
After mid-October, in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, pro-Iran armed groups carried out dozens of attacks against American troops deployed with the international coalition led by Washington to fight against the Islamic State (IS) group.
In retaliation, Washington carried out several strikes against these factions. Working toward de-escalation, Baghdad and Washington launched talks in late January via a joint
“Supreme Military Commission”
to discuss the future of the coalition.
The file will be discussed with Mr. Biden and the objective is to
“achieve a timetable for the end of the mission of the international coalition and a transition towards bilateral relations between Iraq and the member countries,”
recalled Mr. Soudani on Saturday .
The visit of the Prime Minister of Iraq, a country with immense oil wealth, will also be an opportunity to discuss energy,
“investments by American companies in Iraq”,
but also
“the private sector and the banking reforms on which we are working” ,
according to a senior official quoted on the US State Department website.