Can oil deals reset US-Iraqi relations?
During Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s first White House visit in July, President Trump said American oil companies should take the place of withdrawing US forces. Iraq is seeking to bring ExxonMobil back to Majnoon and Chevron into West Qurna-2. The urgency increased after Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz exposed the vulnerability of Iraq’s oil-dependent economy.
Why it matters: This matters for the energy theme because oil investment is central to Iraq’s attempt to reset relations with Washington amid the ongoing US-Iran conflict.