Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein arrived in Washington on Thursday for a series of high-level meetings with US officials aiming to enhance bilateral cooperation in political, security, and economic fields, according to Iraq's Foreign Ministry.
The visit is part of ongoing efforts to strengthen strategic ties between Iraq and the US and to discuss pressing regional and international developments.
In an official statement, the ministry said Hussein will hold talks with several senior members of the US administration including Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The discussions are expected to cover the evolving security partnership between the two countries, economic cooperation, and regional dynamics, including the fight against terrorism.
Hussein's visit comes in the context of the US-Iraq agreement reached on Sept. 27, 2024, which set a 12-month timeline to end the mission of the US-led international coalition in Iraq with a full withdrawal expected by the end of September 2025.
At the time, both governments announced a shift toward a bilateral security relationship aimed at supporting Iraqi forces and maintaining pressure on the remnants of the ISIS terror group.
Meanwhile, the international coalition's mission in Syria is scheduled to continue until September 2026 operating from a designated platform agreed upon by the US and its partners to prevent the resurgence of ISIS in northeastern Syria.
The US currently maintains around 2,500 troops in Iraq. The anti-ISIS coalition, established in 2014, includes countries like France and Spain and was formed to help Iraq defeat the terrorist group that once controlled large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
