Iraq's prime minister seeks big energy investments on US trip

Iraq's new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi, aims to secure major U.S. investment in his country's oil, gas, and power sectors during a visit to the White House this week, after the Iran war hammered crude output and state finances.



Iraq's government is increasingly focused on diversifying international partnerships to better cope with regional instability, analysts say, an agenda expected to take centre stage during the July 13 to July 18 visit.



The push represents one of the most explicit attempts in years to bring major U.S. investment into a sector long dominated by Chinese, Russian, and European firms, though Iraqi officials reject suggestions Baghdad is distancing itself from close ally Tehran in favour of deeper ties with Washington.



"The Iran war was a turning point," said Baghdad-based political analyst Ahmed Younis. "It highlighted the risks of overreliance on any single regional partner."



"Zaidi views energy as the fastest route to deeper cooperation with Washington," he said.



The effort includes negotiations with Chevron over major upstream projects, support for U.S.-backed power and liquefied natural gas ventures, security guarantees for American operators in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, and revived plans for strategic export pipelines linking Iraq to Mediterranean markets, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials.