Key Highlights from Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi’s Interview with The Atlantic: 🔵 Iraq’s relationship with the United States should transition from a military-focused relationship to a strategic economic partnership. 🔵 Economic ties—not military presence—are what forge lasting bonds between nations. 🔵 I advised President Trump against launching a military strike on Iran because negotiations remain the most important path forward. 🔵 Iraq must be “a point of meeting, not an arena of conflict” between the United States and Iran. 🔵 We have no alternative but to ensure that all arms remain exclusively in the hands of the state. 🔵 I refuse to allow Iraq to become a failed state, and my government remains committed to combating corruption and strengthening state authority. 🔵 Economic development and job creation are the true path to stability, because citizens who have a future will not turn to war or sectarianism. 🔵 I discussed establishing a 30-year investment partnership between Iraq and the United States, built on investment and technology rather than military presence. 🔵 The recent war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz inflicted significant losses on Iraq’s economy. 🔵 I call on investors to view Iraq as a promising investment destination. 🔵 I am prepared to bear the consequences of pursuing my reform agenda. ••••• Media Office of the Prime Minister July 22, 2026