The head of the Pentagon called on Iraq to strengthen security for the sake of cooperation with the United States

Iraq must assert its own sovereignty and disarm pro-Iranian groups for the sake of active trade and defense cooperation with the United States. This was announced on Tuesday, July 14, by Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth following a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zeidi in Washington.

"To deepen our partnership, Iraq must assert its sovereignty and disarm the pro-Iranian militias responsible for more than 600 attacks on American troops this spring," the minister wrote on the social network X.

According to the Pentagon chief, Washington expects Baghdad to lead the fight against ISIS (a terrorist organization banned in Russia). The need for this step is dictated by the completion of the international operation "Unwavering Determination", which was led by the United States.

"A secure Iraq paves the way for active trade and defense cooperation," Hegseth stressed.

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Earlier in the day, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, also held a meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister, during which he stated that Washington no longer considers the presence of the American military in Iraq necessary. According to him, at the moment, partnerships are developing between the countries, in which a military presence is no longer required.