Washington expresses readiness to cooperate with the new Iraqi Government

Shafaq News/ The U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Iran, Iraq, and Public Diplomacy, Jennifer Gavito, said that the United States considers Iraq a "strategic partner."

In an interview with Al-Hurra channel, Gavito said that U.S. President Joe Biden "seeks for Iraq to be a center for stability in the Middle East."

"When the Americans left Afghanistan, many believed that the United States was withdrawing from the Middle East and Iraq, which is wrong. We have an aspired plan in Iraq, which we deemed a strategic partner for America." Gavito said.

She revealed that the United States would work with the new Iraqi Government since "the relationship with Iraq is essential and important, and we look to the new Iraqi government as a partner."

The U.S. top official pointed out that the central cooperation between Washington and Baghdad is the security field. Still, there are other aspects of collaboration, such as Student Exchange Programs and higher education in Iraq, experience in the contracting sector, gas and energy sector, facing the "rampant corruption in Iraq," where "we provide technical support."

Gavito stressed that "the Iraqis can rely on the partnership with America to reach their goals… we are committed to strengthening stability and sovereignty, and improving the lives of Iraqis."

It is worth noting that in 2003, the United States invaded Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein. After the invasion, U.S. forces remained in Iraq for eight years before withdrawing in 2011 and only returning in 2014 to fight ISIS within the Global Coalition mission.

Since 2017, the United States has retained a limited military presence in Iraq to train, advise, and support local forces that continue to perform counter-terrorism operations. But in 2020, Washington intervened directly by deciding to assassinate Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) Quds Force Commander, Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the operational commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a part of Iraq's state armed forces.

Iraqi authorities condemned this act and considered it "a violation of Iraqi sovereignty."

The United States and Iran are the "main foreign players" in the Iraqi arena.