4 Points About the Meeting Between the New Prime Minister of Iraq and Trump

4 Points About the Meeting Between the New Prime Minister of Iraq and Trump ✍🏼Reza Ghabishavi Asr Iran 1. Ali Alzaydi, the young (40 years old) and newly appointed Prime Minister of Iraq, dedicated his first foreign trip to the United States. In the past, Tehran was the destination for the first trips of Iraqi Prime Ministers. 2. Alzaydi’s premiership is a result of Trump’s opposition to the previous candidate (Nouri al-Maliki) due to his close ties to Tehran. With Trump threatening to impose sanctions on Iraq, the Shiite coalition close to Iran changed its candidate to propose Alzaydi. There is a kind of consensus among political groups in Iraq after Saddam to avoid sanctions. 3. Alzaydi remained silent about Iran during his meeting with Trump. By not making any negative or positive statements, he sought to avoid upsetting Trump, Tehran officials, and Iraqi Shiite parties. 4. When Trump proudly spoke about the assassination of General Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and inquired about Alzaydi's opinion, he said he was not an active politician at that time but is now looking toward the future. Alzaydi seeks a balance between Iran and the U.S. Full text of the note.