Iraq PM to Sign Security Agreement with Britain
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani announced on Monday that he intends to sign a security agreement with Britain along with a strategic partnership agreement as he travels to London for an official visit.
This is set against a backdrop of significant changes in the Middle East. Iraq is seeking to prevent itself from becoming a battleground once more during a time of regional turmoil that has seen Iran’s allies, Hamas, weakened in Gaza, Hezbollah significantly impacted in Lebanon, and Bashar al-Assad ousted in Syria.
Iraq, which has maintained a rare partnership with both Washington and Tehran, is facing challenges to its balancing strategy due to attacks on Israel and U.S. forces by Iranian-backed Iraqi militant groups following the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7, 2023. This situation has resulted in multiple exchanges of strikes that have so far been controlled. Still, some officials in Iraq are concerned about potential escalation once U.S. President-elect Donald Trump assumes office on January 20.
“It is certainly a significant moment, both regarding the trajectory of Iraq’s relations with the U.K. and due to the evolving regional situation, which necessitates further discussions,” Sudani stated to Reuters on Monday while traveling from Baghdad to London. Sudani mentioned that the security agreement between the UK and Iraq would enhance military cooperation following last year’s announcement that the U.S.-led coalition established to combat Islamic State would conclude its operations in Iraq by 2026.
The United Kingdom, which was Iraq’s former colonial power, played a significant role in the coalition. The Islamic State was effectively defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria by 2019; however, there are still substantial concerns that it could regroup in isolated regions of Iraq and take advantage of the power vacuum in Syria following Assad’s removal by Islamist rebels last year. In reference to the strategic partnership agreement, Sudani mentioned, “This represents a pivotal moment in the relationship between Iraq and the UK. I would describe it as the start of a new chapter in our ties.” He did not go into further detail.
The visit will also include the signing of significant agreements with companies from the U.K., he stated. “This is not just a ceremonial visit,” he remarked. Iraq had previously entered into a strategic partnership with the U.S. aimed at broadening relationships beyond the military connections formed after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, which the U.K. also participated in.
That invasion resulted in the overthrow of the former dictator Saddam Hussein. Still, it led to years of sectarian violence and conflict, followed by the emergence of the Islamic State, which perpetrated massacres against minorities and temporarily established a self-proclaimed caliphate before being defeated. In recent years, violence has decreased, and many areas of the country are experiencing relative stability; however, the economy is still heavily reliant on public-sector salaries funded almost entirely through oil, resulting in periodic crises during times of price drops.
Sudani has aimed to concentrate on repairing Iraq’s war-damaged infrastructure and enhancing relationships with Western and Arab nations while balancing ties with neighboring Iran, which supports various Iraqi armed factions but also supplies essential electricity and gas. Mohammed Najjar, an investment advisor to the prime minister, informed Reuters that Iraq considers establishing agreements with Western and Arab countries a vital method to avert conflict. “We are centering our national security strategy around the economy,” he stated, highlighting the intentionally business-focused agenda of the visit despite the unrest in the Middle East.