Iraq PM heads to Iran: Can Baghdad redefine its relationship with Tehran?

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaid is visiting Tehran after a high-profile meeting with US President Donald Trump.Published On 23 Jul 202623 Jul 2026Just days after concluding his first official visit to the United States, Iraq’s newly appointed prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, has arrived in Iran for another high-stakes diplomatic stop.His first foreign visits after becoming prime minister in May have taken him to Washington, DC, and Tehran – seats of powers for two countries that have shaped Baghdad’s political, security and economic landscape since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.Together, they reflect Baghdad’s enduring challenge: maintaining relations with two countries currently engaged in a war without being caught up in the rivalry.Iraq’s new prime ministerAl-Zaidi, a multimillionaire business figure who was considered a compromise candidate of the governing Shia bloc, was reportedly a preferred option to the US over his challenger, controversial former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.He has also embarked on a high-profile anticorruption campaign, which has seen important figures in Iraq’s political establishment detained on suspicion of corruption.Al-Zaidi’s first foreign tr...