Peregraf- U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said he urged Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to strengthen Iraq's sovereignty by disarming Iran-aligned militias during a meeting at the Pentagon, while emphasizing that the Peshmerga and other Kurdistan Region security forces will play a leading role in countering the Islamic State (ISIS) as U.S. military operations wind down.
"I hosted Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi at the Pentagon today," Hegseth wrote on X.
"To deepen our partnership, Iraq must assert its sovereignty and disarm the Iran-aligned militias responsible for 600+ attacks on U.S. personnel this spring."
Hegseth said the United States also expects the Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other Kurdistan Region security forces, to take the lead in counter-ISIS operations as Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) comes to an end.
"The U.S. is also looking to the Iraqi Security Forces, including the Peshmerga and other Iraqi Kurdistan Region security forces, to lead in D-ISIS efforts as the OIR military mission winds down," he said.
"A secure Iraq opens the door to strong commercial and defense cooperation."
The remarks came a day after President Donald Trump hosted al-Zaidi at the White House, where both leaders announced what they described as a new phase in U.S.-Iraq relations centered on economic cooperation, energy investment, and Iraq's sovereignty.
During the meeting, al-Zaidi said U.S. combat forces would complete their withdrawal from Iraq by Sept. 30, while American companies would expand their presence through investment and economic partnerships.
Trump said he no longer believed a continued U.S. military presence in Iraq would be necessary, arguing that Iraq was becoming more capable of ensuring its own security and that weakening Iranian influence had created new opportunities for economic cooperation between Baghdad and Washington.