Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will press US President Donald Trump to hold off on any US financial or economic sanctions on Baghdad, a senior Iraqi government source told Shafaq News on Saturday.

The appeal is tied to September 30, the date originally set by Baghdad for bringing faction weapons under state control and which also marks the scheduled end of the US-led Coalition's military mission in Iraq. Iraqi officials have since said the weapons process could continue beyond that date. “Baghdad has yet to resolve the matter, and Al-Zaidi wants more time from Washington,” the source said.

Read more: Iraq caught between US-Iran war and September 30 deadline

At the meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Al-Zaidi will assure Trump that his government will move to resolve the factions' weapons issue after September 30 and the completion of the US military withdrawal, the source added. He will also brief the US president through the government's talks with the factions over handing over their arms to the state and stress that decisions of war and peace must rest solely with Iraqi state institutions.

Behind the request is a fear that the United States could halt shipments of dollars to Iraq as early as next month if there is no progress. Iraq's oil revenues are paid in dollars into an account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, giving Washington leverage over the flow of cash to Baghdad.

Al-Zaidi last visited the United States in mid-July, leading a five-day official trip with a high-level delegation of ministers, officials, lawmakers, and business figures. The visit focused on expanding US investment in Iraq, particularly in energy, and developing alternative crude export routes.

Washington has said it supports al-Zaidi's efforts to "enforce and exercise Iraqi sovereignty" as Iraq takes a new direction under his leadership, a State Department spokesperson told Shafaq News, adding that it backs his vision of a future "free from terrorism" and of preventing attacks in and from Iraqi territory. The spokesperson declined to say whether the department is weighing financial or economic sanctions on Iraqi entities and individuals should the government fail to bring weapons under state control.

Read more: Iraq factions resist disarmament as coalition exit nears