President Donald Trump is hosting Iraq’s new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, at the White House. The meeting comes after Trump strongly backed al-Zaidi in his bid for office. Al-Zaidi, a businessman with no prior political experience, emerged as a consensus candidate in Iraq after months of deadlock over the premiership following last year’s parliamentary elections.

Iranian Influence

The issue of Iran is likely to be a major topic of discussion during the meeting. Iraq has been under pressure to disarm a network of Iran-backed militias operating in the country, some of which have launched attacks on U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities. The Iraqi government has given non-state armed groups until the end of September to disarm, but some of the most powerful militias have said they have no intention of doing so.

A Trump administration official said that the U.S. will make informed decisions based on Iraq’s efforts to disarm Iranian-backed militias inside its borders. Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Chatham House think tank, expects that the U.S. will put significant pressure on al-Zaidi to move ahead with disarmament during his Washington visit.

Economic Partnerships

Al-Zaidi’s delegation to Washington includes a number of Iraqi businessmen as well as government officials. The aim of the visit is to strengthen economic and development partnerships, attract investment, and expand the role of U.S. companies in implementing infrastructure projects in Iraq.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.