United States President Donald Trump met Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House, where the two sides discussed bilateral relations, cooperation in the energy sector and stronger economic ties.
After the meeting, Trump said relations between Washington and Baghdad would grow stronger. He said the United States and Iraq were expected to begin major cooperation in the oil sector in the near future.
Trump said one of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's political rivals did not receive US support because of an anti-Washington stance. He claimed that he had taken an interest in Ali al-Zaidi becoming prime minister.
The Iraqi prime minister said US companies would enter the Iraqi market for investment and business activities, helping to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.
Trump claims Iran 'destabilised'
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump also said Iran had been "destabilised" and that its military had been largely destroyed.
He said Iran had been a major burden on Iraq and described it as the "bully of the Middle East". Trump added that Iraq would no longer face the same problem because, he said, Iran had been significantly weakened and its military power was only a small fraction of what it had been four months earlier.
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