Biden meets with Iraqi PM amid escalating Middle East tensions

While the president of the United States, Joe Biden, received the prime minister of Iraq, all eyes were on Iran, which over the weekend carried out a first historic attack against Israel.

That incident has inflamed the concerns of a wider regional wara situation that effectively overshadowed the leaders' already planned meeting in the Oval Office, where they wanted to discuss their mutual fight against the Islamic State, economic problems and Iraq's progress toward energy independence and modernization.

“The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the enduring strategic partnership between Iraq and the United States, and discussed their visions for comprehensive bilateral cooperation under the 2008 US-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement,” the two dignitaries said in a joint statement Monday. after Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met with Biden.

Meanwhile, White House officials disputed reports that Iran issued a clear warning before the attack. White House national security spokesman John Kirby called such reports “nonsense.”

“Can you imagine a world where Iran picked up the phone and said, 'Hey, we're about to try to trick Israel with 300 cruise missiles and drones. We just wanted you to know it's coming. And, oh, by the way , this is what we're going to hit.'”

“I'm sorry,” he said. “It just didn't happen.”

He stressed that Israel's response is “an Israeli decision to make” and that “we are going to leave it directly in their hands.”

Even as the United States describes Iran's airstrike as a failure, the Iraqi leader acknowledged that the conflict between Israel and Hamas It is of great concern in the region.

“We are actually very eager to stop this war, which has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, women and children,” Sudani said, sitting next to Biden in the Oval Office. “And we encourage all efforts to stop the expansion of the conflict zone.”

The two nations have a delicate relationship after decades of U.S. military involvement in Iraq. American anti-aircraft assets in northern Iraq were used to shoot down some of the Iranian missiles.

Biden said Iraq, a long-standing adversary of Iran, has a role to play in keeping the peace.

“Simply put, our partnership is critical to our nations, to the Middle East and, I believe, to the world,” he said.

Earlier on Monday, Sudani's deputy met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, where both men praised the regional cooperation that thwarted the attack and urged de-escalation.

“I think what this weekend demonstrated is that Israel did not and does not have to defend itself when it is the victim of aggression, the victim of an attack,” Blinken said.

“In the 36 hours since then, we have been coordinating a diplomatic response to try to avoid an escalation.”

“We call on all parties to restrain themselves and respect the rules and also the international norms that we established,” said Muhammad Ali Tamim, Iraq's deputy prime minister.

The two leaders announced a series of bilateral measures on Monday, but none directly addressed Iran.

“The president and prime minister agreed on the importance of working together to promote regional stability and strengthen and respect Iraqi sovereignty, stability and security,” their joint statement said.

The other agreements focused on priorities the Biden administration outlined in March before the visit: energy independence, regional security and the “lasting defeat of ISIS.”

But analysts say Baghdad should seize every diplomatic opportunity to seek peace.

“Iraq needs to make clear its preference for de-escalation,” Daniel Byman, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the VOA via Zoom. “And that is talking to the Iranians, but also talking to other Arab states and talking to the United States, that this is negative from Iraq's point of view, and that it wants all powers to take responsible measures to try to de-escalate. “.

As Israel reflects on its response, regional actors are not standing still. On Monday, the president of Iraq met with King Abdullah II of Jordan. According to Jordan's royal court, they discussed the dangers of this conflict escalating further.

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