President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the United States no longer needed a military presence in Iraq, describing a shift towards an economic partnership as American energy companies prepare major investments in the country, while Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi confirmed that US forces would leave Iraq by September 30.
Hosting al-Zaidi at the White House, Trump praised the Iraqi leader and said relations between the two countries had entered a new phase centred on trade, investment and energy cooperation rather than military engagement. "We don't think we need the military there anymore," Trump told reporters during their Oval Office meeting.
"The oil companies are all going in now, and they're doing partnerships with Iraq, and they're getting along very well. The relationship is a whole big relationship where we don't need the military there." Trump said the United States would continue to support Iraq if needed but added, "We're there to help them.
We're there to protect them, if need be, but we don't think that's going to be necessary." The President linked the changing security environment to Iran's weakened position in the region. "Iran has been very much destabilised, and really their military power is just a tiny fraction of what it was just four months ago," Trump said.
"They're not going to have that problem anymore." He added that the changed regional landscape had encouraged American companies to expand investments in Iraq "at levels that have never been seen before." Earlier, Trump said American and Iraqi companies were preparing major energy partnerships.
"We have tremendous oil partnerships all of a sudden being formed over the last short period of time," he said. "They'll be announcing them this week or next week, but massive, among the largest." Al-Zaidi described his visit as "not just like any visit" but "announcement of economic partnership".
According to the Iraqi Prime Minister, "30th of September, the US forces would be out of Iraq... while US companies will be inside Iraq." "The social relations are about economy; it's not like military relations," he said through an interpreter. The Iraqi leader also outlined his government's security agenda, saying Baghdad intended to ensure that only the state possessed weapons.
"Our programme... is to restrict the possession of weapons to the state," he said. "This is like a decision, it's not an option." He added that after September 30, "there is no need for the presence of any faction" and that Iraq would "never accept for any entity to carry weapons outside the control of a state."
Trump repeatedly praised al-Zaidi, saying he had supported his election campaign and predicting a larger regional role for the Iraqi leader. "I think he's going to end up being a great leader," Trump said. "His influence is going to spread throughout the Middle East."
The United States has maintained troops in Iraq for years as part of the coalition formed to combat the Islamic State group and to support Iraqi security forces. Washington and Baghdad have been negotiating a gradual transition from the coalition's military mission to a bilateral security relationship, with greater emphasis on training, intelligence cooperation and economic engagement.