Onlykashmir.in News Desk
Iraq has signed 48 agreements and partnerships with American companies, many concentrated in the oil and energy sector, during a high-profile visit to Washington by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, according to a statement issued by his office on Saturday. The agreements mark one of the most significant expansions of Iraqi-American economic cooperation in recent years and signal Baghdad’s intent to deepen ties with Washington amid a shifting regional landscape.
Among the most notable deals are cooperation and partnership agreements involving Iraq’s ministries of oil and electricity with major American energy giants including ExxonMobil, KBR, GE Vernova, Shell and Halliburton. These agreements are expected to bolster Iraq’s oil production capacity, modernise its power infrastructure and bring advanced American engineering expertise into some of the country’s most critical energy projects. Several of the deals also relate specifically to the construction of a major crude oil pipeline connecting Iraq and Syria, a project seen as strategically significant for regional energy security and export diversification.
In a move that reflects Iraq’s ambitions beyond the energy sector, the government also signed an agreement with Starlink, the satellite communications company that dominates the global market for low-earth-orbit internet services. The deal is expected to pave the way for Starlink’s services to be introduced in Iraq, potentially transforming connectivity in remote and underserved parts of the country where traditional telecommunications infrastructure remains limited.
The scale and breadth of the agreements underscore the growing economic partnership between Baghdad and Washington at a time when Iraq is seeking to attract foreign investment to rebuild and modernise its infrastructure after decades of conflict and instability. Prime Minister al-Zaidi’s visit to the United States has been closely watched by regional observers, given Iraq’s delicate balancing act between its historic ties with Iran and its deepening economic and security relationship with the United States.
Analysts note that the sweeping nature of these deals, spanning oil, electricity, pipeline construction and satellite communications, reflects a broader strategic push by Iraq to diversify its economy and reduce dependence on any single external partner. The agreements are expected to be followed by further rounds of negotiations as both sides look to translate these partnerships into tangible projects on the ground in the coming months.
