By Javad Hashemi with AFP
Published on
Iraqi lawmakers approved a new government on Thursday led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who vowed to ensure a state monopoly on weapons amid growing US pressure to dismantle Tehran-backed groups.
The parliament in Baghdad voted in favour of al-Zaidi’s government and programme just a few weeks after he was designated Iraq’s youngest prime minister at 40, following months of political deadlock.
Al-Zaidi’s programme includes “reforming the security apparatus by restricting weapons to state control and strengthening the capabilities of the security forces”, state news agency INA quoted the parliament media office as saying.
Following his nomination, al-Zaidi promised to focus on making Iraq “a balanced country, regionally and internationally.”
“This appointment comes at a sensitive time that requires concerted efforts from all political and social forces,” he said.
In Iraq, a government wins a confidence vote when parliament approves half plus one of its ministries.
Only 14 ministerial nominations out of 23 posts were approved on Thursday, as key political parties continue to negotiate several portfolios.
His nomination followed months of political wrangling after Washington vetoed the previous frontrunner, former Premier Nouri al-Maliki.
Previously chairman of Al-Janoob Islamic Bank, Al-Zaidi had never held senior political office before his nomination.
A lawyer and businessman from Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq, he holds degrees in finance and law and has built a career managing economic, educational and medical institutions.
His selection was described by Iraqi political analysts as a compromise outcome after months of deadlock, with US President Donald Trump warning he would curtail US support for Iraq if figures closely aligned with Tehran came back to power.
Al-Zaidi is backed by the Coordination Framework, a ruling alliance of powerful Shia groups with varying ties to Iran.
Congratulations from Tehran and Washington
Iraq has long walked a tightrope between the competing influences of its allies, neighbouring Iran and the US.
In an apparent nod of approval, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi congratulated Iraq’s new government.
“Strengthening the friendly and brotherly relations between Tehran and Baghdad has always been at the top of the priorities of our foreign policy,” Araghchi wrote on X.
Senior US diplomat Tom Barrack meanwhile said his government was ready to work with al-Zaidi “to advance our shared goals of prosperity for the Iraqi people and the elimination of terrorism, which is always an impediment to the people’s progress”.
Following the 2003 invasion of Iraq that overthrew former ruler Saddam Hussein, the US has held major sway in Iraq.
But the invasion also paved the way for Tehran to build its influence and to see its Shia allies installed in Baghdad’s halls of power.
Since then, Iraq’s leaders have struggled to balance relations between the two foes.
The US has recently piled pressure on Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed groups, which it designates as terrorist organisations.
After the US and Israel launched their intervention in Iran on 28 February, those groups intervened in support of Tehran and hit US facilities in Iraq more than 600 times before a ceasefire was announced, according to a US official.
Washington also struck their positions and bases, killing dozens of fighters.
A country divided?
The new premier faces multiple daunting tasks.
Recently, several powerful Iraqi politicians have called for a state monopoly on weapons, revealing divisions over the sensitive issue.
While some armed groups showed readiness to cooperate, others remain adamant that the issue should not be discussed under US pressure.
Hussein Mounes, the head of a parliamentary bloc close to the powerful Kataeb Hezbollah group, criticised the “clear and direct US interference in shaping the political scene”.
He told journalists that the question of the state’s monopoly on arms cannot be achieved through “pressure”.
Al-Zaidi’s government will also need to repair Iraq’s relations with Gulf countries, which have protested attacks by Tehran-backed groups on their territory during the war.
His programme has also set economic reforms as a main priority, with an emphasis on diversification and investment, in a country where almost the entire economy relies on oil.
Iraq has lost significant income due to disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, as oil exports account for about 90% of the country’s budget revenues.