He honored Khamenei. Then he broke bread with Trump.
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President Trump shakes hands with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi in the Oval Office Tuesday. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi attended the funeral procession of Iran's supreme leader. This week, he shook hands in the Oval Office with the man who had him killed.
Why it matters: Like every Iraqi prime minister in the last two decades, Zaidi has to conduct a delicate balancing act between strategic relations with Washington and Tehran. When both sides are shooting at each other, it's much harder.
- Zaidi's meeting Tuesday with President Trump was seen by the White House as a big win for the administration. U.S. envoy to Iraq Tom Barrack had been working to secure Zaidi's visit for several weeks as a signal that the new Iraqi government is moving toward the U.S. and distancing itself from Iran.
Driving the news: The 40-year-old businessman-turned-politician took office in May after a lengthy political deadlock in Iraq.
- Zaidi was a compromise candidate backed by Shiite political factions as well as the Trump administration. The White House viewed him as someone who — unlike his opponent, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — wasn't dependent on Tehran's support.
- Zaidi also pledged to curb corruption — which he started doing in his first days in office — and to rein in Iran-backed militias, which he is treading more carefully on.
The intrigue: In the past week, Zaidi participated in the funeral procession of Iran's former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the holy city of Najaf in Iraq — then traveled to the White House to meet the U.S. president who ordered his killing in the opening strike of the war.
Behind the scenes: Two U.S. officials said the Iranians pressed Zaidi and his team not to make his first overseas visit as prime minister to Washington. But Zaidi was adamant that he wanted to meet President Trump, they said.
- U.S. officials believe that Zaidi's decision indicates he's serious about pushing an "Iraq first" agenda that pivots toward the United States and away from Iran.
What they're saying: Trump didn't hold back in praising the Iraqi prime minister and even added an unplanned lunch to their meeting.
- "We have a fantastic champion, a new champion ... He's been a great fighter and he's been a great fan of America. He's a great leader. I think he's going to be there for a long period of time," Trump said at the start of their meeting.
- Zaidi was sitting next to Trump in front of the cameras for several minutes while the president spoke about continuing strikes and imposing the naval blockade on Iran.
- Zaidi did not mention Iran. Instead, he spoke about strengthening economic ties with the U.S., concluding the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country in September, working on disarming militias, and ensuring all weapons in the country are under Iraqi state authority.
- "Zaidi's willingness to be seated next to President Trump as Trump spoke about Iran was a powerful image, demonstrating the seriousness of his intent to align himself with the United States in spite of Iranian opposition," a U.S. official said.
What to watch: The disarmament of Iranian-backed Shia militias in Iraq was a key issue in Zaidi's meeting with Trump and with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.
- U.S. officials hope the visit is a first signal that Zaidi intends to act on his commitments to disarm those militias.
