Bessent sets out expectations for Iraq on reforms and disarming Iran-linked groups

According to a statement from the U.S. Treasury Department, cited by Al Jazeera, Bessent presented Hussein with Washington’s expectations regarding Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s reform agenda.

The two officials held an open discussion on a range of issues, including bilateral financial cooperation, regional security and economic reforms, as well as Shia pilgrimages to the holy city of Najaf.

At the centre of the talks was also Iraq’s continued progress in disarming Iran-linked armed groups — a key Washington demand on Baghdad since the start of the war with Iran.

The meeting came a day after Baghdad rejected a U.S. request for sanctions on Iranian airlines, declaring that “we do not want to be part” of them — a sign of the difficult balance Iraq is trying to maintain between Washington and Tehran.