Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Tehran on Thursday, July 23rd, 2026, following his first official visit to the United States earlier in mid-July. His visits to Washington, DC, and Tehran mark his initial foreign trips since taking office in May, highlighting Iraq’s ongoing challenge of maintaining relations with two influential countries currently at odds.

Al-Zaidi, a multimillionaire business figure and compromise candidate from the governing Shia bloc, reportedly had US backing over his rival, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. During his Washington visit, he established a positive rapport with US President Donald Trump, who described al-Zaidi as “a fantastic champion” and expressed optimism about future deals between the two nations.

Following the US trip, Iraq announced multiple agreements with American companies and plans to rehabilitate a dormant Iraqi-Syrian oil pipeline, a development welcomed by the US Department of State.

Under al-Zaidi’s leadership, Iraq appears to be seeking a new political direction, aiming to assert itself as a more independent regional actor after years of strong Iranian influence since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein. However, the US continues to pressure Baghdad to exert greater control over Iran-aligned armed groups within Iraq, which have played significant roles in regional conflicts.

Al-Zaidi has also launched a high-profile anticorruption campaign, detaining key figures in Iraq’s political establishment on suspicion of misconduct.

His consecutive visits to the capitals of Washington and Tehran underscore Iraq’s delicate position amid the ongoing rivalry between the US and Iran.

Sources