Washington —

President Joe Biden will welcome Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Monday, with the threat of a spreading war in Gaza looming. Security officials are on alert for possible Iranian retaliation for the attack on its consulate in Damascus.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah group launched a barrage of rockets and drones from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel on Friday. While Hezbollah and Israel frequently engage in cross-border fighting, the timing of the attack could trigger a major escalation in the conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, another Iranian proxy.

Washington has been pressuring Baghdad and other partners in the region to show restraint after an Israeli attack on April 1 killed seven Iranian military officers. Tehran has made clear it will respond.

Biden warned Iran on Friday not to launch any attacks, saying the United States was “committed to defending Israel.”

Potential escalation is top of mind for Biden and Sudani, who are keen to prevent Israel’s war from spreading into Syria and Lebanon.

In the early months of the Gaza war, Iranian-backed groups such as Kataib Hezbollah repeatedly targeted U.S. forces in the region, including a January attack on a U.S. base in Jordan near the Iraq-Syria border that killed three U.S. soldiers and caused More than 40 people were injured.

Shortly after the attack, under pressure from Baghdad, Kataeb Hezbollah announced a suspension of all military operations against U.S. forces.

A moratorium on hostilities with Kataeb Hezbollah and other anti-American groups is a condition the United States has imposed on the Iraqi prime minister. accesssaid Sajad Jiyad, a researcher at the Century Foundation think tank.

Withdraw troops

Sudani’s first goal in Washington is to reach an agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Sudan before a possible change of U.S. government after the November election.

About 2,500 U.S. troops remain deployed in Iraq as part of a global coalition formed in 2014 to defeat the Islamic State terror group, primarily responsible for counterterrorism missions.

On Monday, a U.S.-Iran military commission was established in January meet Develop a timetable for withdrawal.

Biden administration officials declined to provide details. However, in a background briefing to reporters on Thursday, a State Department official said the United States is “very pleased” with its partnership with Iraqi security forces and has seen “steady improvements” in their capabilities.

energy independence

Biden and Sudani will also discuss “Iraq’s ongoing financial reforms to promote economic development and progress toward Iraqi energy independence and modernization,” the White House said in a statement. statement announced the visit.

Washington wants to wean Iraq off its energy dependence on Iran, although it often offers sanctions waivers to allow Baghdad to continue importing electricity from Iran.

A U.S. State Department official said Iraq’s reliance on Iranian power has been “significantly reduced,” citing the Iraq-Jordan power project and ongoing negotiations between Iraq and Saudi Arabia for more power lines.

Baghdad will also ask Washington to ease restrictions on the flow of revenue from Iraq’s oil sales.

Since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, the funds have been held in the Iraqi government’s account with the U.S. Federal Reserve System and distributed at Baghdad’s request. Washington has restricted its transfers since late 2022 to prevent money laundering benefiting Iran and Syria.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein said in a recent interview with Voice of America that Baghdad will emphasize its efforts in this regard, focusing on “financial system reform, especially banking system reform.”

A new stage of strategic cooperation

Sudani said his goal was to establish a new phase of strategic partnership that “supports Iraq’s sovereignty and independence without abandoning the productive cooperation between Baghdad and Washington.”

“Our discussions will emphasize the continued importance of our economic relations, cooperation in combating money laundering and terrorist financing, and the use of political and diplomatic tools to defuse regional tensions,” the Iraqi prime minister wrote in a statement. Foreign affairs Articles published ahead of his visit.

“The fight against terrorism will continue to be a central issue for both our governments.”

Hussein said the leaders would also discuss oil and gas cooperation. “We’re talking about American companies coming in there and helping Iraqis in those areas as well as in health, agriculture and higher education.”

State Department officials confirmed that Biden will also raise the case of journalist Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian citizen kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq in 2023.

Jeff Seldin, Hero Rahim and Farhad Pouladi contributed to this report.