Biden Invites Iraqi Prime Minister for a Visit to the White House

A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department announced that Secretary Antony Blinken met yesterday, Monday, in New York with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, who received an invitation from President Joe Biden to visit the White House soon. Iraqi state media reported that al-Sudani, who is in New York to participate in the United Nations General Assembly meetings, stated that a date for the official visit to Washington will be determined later. Biden and al-Sudani have not met since the Iraqi Prime Minister took office last year after being chosen by a coalition of mostly Shiite parties and groups close to Tehran. Since then, he has had to maintain a diplomatic balance between Iran and the United States, which have historically viewed Iraq as a battleground. The State Department spokesperson said that al-Sudani and Blinken "renewed their commitment to continue enhancing the partnership between the two countries." Iraq has been a close partner of the United States since the American invasion in 2003, and both sides claim to be working on expanding their relationship from a focus primarily on defense and counterterrorism to economic cooperation. During the meeting, Blinken emphasized "the United States' support" for resuming pipeline operations between Iraqi Kurdistan in the north and Turkey, which have seen halted oil flows since March.