ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US President Donald Trump told Rudaw's Diyar Kurda on Tuesday that countries across the Middle East and beyond are coming together to address Iran's dominance over the region, slamming Tehran as "the bully" of the Middle East.
"I think everything is going to work out. I think people in the Middle East…are coming together. We are getting rid of the bully of the Middle East. Iran was the bully of the Middle East," Trump told Kurda on the sidelines of his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the Oval Office.
The US President further accused Tehran of having "bullied Iraq" and "every country," adding that "there's no fear anymore because their [Iran's] military capability has been knocked to hell" - an indirect reference to his country's military operations against Iran, which began in late February.
Trump further anticipated that "great leaders" will have more influential roles in the region, pointing to Iraq's al-Zaidi as one of them.
Alongside Zaidi, the Iraqi delegation includes Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Finance Minister Faleh al-Sari, Oil Minister Basim Mohammed Khudair, Trade Minister Mustafa Nizar Jumaa, and Ambassadors Nizar al-Khairallah and Krikor Der-Hagopian.
From the US side, President Trump was accompanied by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, and Special Envoy for Iraq and Syria Tom Barrack.
Zaidi’s trip to the US comes as Baghdad is seeking to restructure its relationship with Washington beyond the security-focused framework that has defined bilateral relations over the past two decades..
It also comes ahead of the conclusion of the mission of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) and the withdrawal of its forces by the end of September.
With the Coalition's mandate ending, Iraq is keen on implementing the Strategic Framework Agreement - a pact signed between the two sides in 2008 to establish a long-term, comprehensive partnership.
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This is a developing story…
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