Iraq Prime Minister Ali al‑Zaidi pushes for US energy investments

Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al‑Zaidi, travelled to Washington from July 13‑18 for a series of meetings that include a White House visit with President Donald Trump. The delegation, which also carries the central bank governor, finance minister and oil minister, is focused on securing U.S. investment in Iraq’s oil, gas and power sectors.

Key talks involve Chevron on upstream projects, a partnership with U.S.‑based HKN Energy to develop the Himreen field, and a cooperation agreement with General Electric to expand electricity generation and transmission. The agenda also covers security guarantees for U.S. operators in the semi‑autonomous Kurdistan region and revived plans for export pipelines linking Iraq to Mediterranean markets, such as the Kirkuk‑Baniyas pipeline to Syria.

The push follows the “Iran war,” which sharply reduced Iraq’s crude output and strained state finances, prompting Baghdad to diversify away from Chinese, Russian and European partners. Officials say the trip aims to attract capital, transfer expertise, diversify the economy and create jobs, while also seeking to restore full access to Iraq’s financial assets held abroad.