ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein traveled to the United States on Thursday to discuss strengthening bilateral ties and addressing regional and international developments. The visit comes as Baghdad pushes for new security partnerships with members of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS).
In a statement posted to X, Hussein wrote, “We have departed to the United States of America, where we will hold a series of bilateral meetings to enhance Iraqi–American relations and coordinate efforts on regional and international issues.”
He added that discussions would focus on “strengthening mutual security and cooperation in various sectors.”
The visit follows the Iraqi government’s recent confirmation that it no longer requires the continued presence of the US-led Global Coalition in its original form.
The US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS was established in response to ISIS's rapid territorial expansion in Iraq and Syria in 2014, following a formal request from the Iraqi government for international assistance.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani last week stated that Baghdad informed the coalition partners that “Iraq in 2023 and 2024 is not the same as it was in 2014, when it requested assistance.”
Sudani instead emphasized Iraq's readiness to transition to a bilateral security framework with coalition member states.
“We confirmed on many occasions that this relationship [with coalition members] is a security relationship and that Iraq is serious about developing it,” the premier said. “We are transitioning to a bilateral security partnership.”
On the economic front, Hussein’s visit comes weeks after, the US Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce in early April signed an agreement to enhance private sector cooperation between their countries.
The US embassy in Baghdad then hailed the agreement as a crucial step toward “long-term economic collaboration.”
On the same day the US diplomatic mission announced that a delegation comprising “60 companies” from the US “energy, health and technology sectors” had arrived in Iraq.
“This is the first trade mission approved by the U.S. Department of Commerce to Iraq and the largest U.S. business delegation to Iraq in the history of the Chamber,” the embassy said.
The efforts came as Iraq was looking to mitigate the impact of the newly-implemented US tariffs through expanded sector partnerships and increased opportunities.
US President Donald Trump had days prior introduced “reciprocal tariffs” on several countries, including Iraq. He said that Baghdad imposes a 78 percent tariff on US goods, adding that Washington would respond with a 39 percent tariff on Iraqi products.
However, Baghdad disputed those figures, saying the US tariffs are linked to the broader trade imbalance between the two countries rather than to specific customs duties imposed by Iraq.
Regionally, Iraq has in recent weeks been expressing concerns over the potential repercussions of crises plaguing its direct neighbors Iran and Syria.
Talks between the US and Iran resumed in Oman in mid-April, following months of military buildup and Trump’s previous threats of strikes against Iran.
The Iraqi Foreign Minister Hussein on Wednesday relayed Iraq’s support for the renewed engagement. He reiterated Baghdad’s support for the diplomatic path, stressing it as the only viable means to achieve “peaceful and constructive outcomes.”
Meanwhile in Syria, Iraq is closely monitoring the aftermath of the ouster of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
In early December, a coalition of opposition groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled Assad’s regime and in late January, HTS’s then-leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was appointed interim president.
Although the new leadership in Damascus has pledged an inclusive political process, minority groups - including Kurds, Druze, Christians, and Alawites - have censured it as exclusionary on multiple occasions.
Foreign Minister Hussein on Wednesday asserted Iraq’s support for a stable Syria and “an inclusive political process” in the country.
In recent months, he had expressed concern about the broader security implications of instability in Syria, especially the potential for extremist groups like ISIS to exploit the power vacuum.
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