Iraqi Resistance Reaffirms Opposition to US Presence Ahead of PM’s Washington Visit

By Staff, Agencies

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it backs the Iraqi government’s efforts to pursue corruption cases but emphasized that such support does not amount to unconditional approval of all government policies.

In a statement, the group criticized the planned visit of an Iraqi government delegation to Washington, stressing that ending the presence of US forces in Iraq must remain a central government priority.

The group described the continued deployment of US troops in Iraq as an occupation and urged the government to use all available means to ensure their withdrawal in line with the previously announced timetable.

It said the delegation’s trip to Washington comes while the “Zionist-American war machine” continues to carry out massacres, adding that its support for anti-corruption measures should not be interpreted as endorsement of every government decision.

The statement also cautioned against replacing what it described as military occupation with economic domination, arguing that such a shift would pose an even greater danger after the sacrifices made by the Iraqi people.

Additionally, the group stated that normalization with “Israel,” whether under the “Abraham Accords” or any other framework, constitutes “high treason.”

Earlier on Sunday, Iraqi government spokesperson Haider Al-Aboudi announced that Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi would travel to Washington on Monday leading a high-level government delegation for talks centered on economic, energy, and defense cooperation with the United States.

The visit, which comes at the invitation of the US administration, is expected to focus on broadening Iraq-US relations beyond their long-standing emphasis on security cooperation.

Al-Aboudi said the discussions would address economic reform, energy development, and strengthening Iraq’s military capabilities, while reaffirming that the Strategic Framework Agreement between Baghdad and Washington remains unchanged.

“There is no change to the Strategic Framework Agreement with the United States,” al-Aboudi said, adding that all existing agreements and understandings continue to be based on that accord.

He added that Iraq aims to deepen cooperation with US energy companies and plans to sign memorandums of understanding in the oil and gas sectors to boost production capacity.

The visit will be Al-Zaidi’s first official trip to Washington since taking office as prime minister and comes two months before the scheduled withdrawal of US forces from Iraq.