Ali al-Zaidi
Prime Minister of IraqWikipedia
158
MENTIONS
79
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59
PODCASTS
Search complete. 158 mentions across 79 episodes found for "Ali al-Zaidi".
Oct 9, 2026
Lazar BermanHOST
And just final question, I promised we would talk about Iraq, and so we will.
Lazar BermanHOST
Can you just give us an overview of where the country stands now? It's got a relatively new government under Ali al-Zaidi.
Lazar BermanHOST
Iran has been quite dominant in the past, but that has changed as well.
Lazar BermanHOST
And if you can also talk about how the Kurds are doing, former allies of ours up north, and whether there's any potential there as well for Israel.
CannConHOST
It's been a long time with very bad decision-making that got us involved in this quagmire in the first place, but soon that will be part of history.
CannConHOST
This is a great day for America, and importantly, we leave with Iraq having a wonderful new prime minister, Ali Al-Zaidi, somebody and, somebody I supported from the beginning and fully endorsed.
CannConHOST
He won an election that he was not expected to win, and did so in a landslide.
CannConHOST
Launched in 2003 under the presidency of George W. Bush and continued under the administration of Barack Hussein Obama in 2014, and Sleepy Joe Biden.
CannConHOST
I set a clear mission, gave our commanders the tools to finish it, and refused to let a temporary presence become a permanent one.
CannConHOST
I had a choice to stay or to leave and felt, without question, that it was time for America to go home.
CannConHOST
Prime Minister Al-Zaidi is ver- is outstanding and he will hopefully be able to handle things very well.
CannConHOST
We came to fight a caliphate.
Lazar BermanHOST
And just final question, I promised we would talk about Iraq, and so we will.
Lazar BermanHOST
Can you just give us an overview of where the country stands now? It's got a relatively new government under Ali al-Zaidi.
Lazar BermanHOST
Um, Iran has been quite dominant in the past, but that, uh, has changed as well.
Lazar BermanHOST
And if you can also talk about how the Kurds are doing, former allies of ours up north, and whether there's any potential there as well for Israel.
Elizabeth TsurkovGUEST
Um, and, and those, those, uh, militias that have voiced some willingness to hand over some of their weapons, et cetera, or, you know, be merged into, uh, the Ministry of Defense, which is Saraya Salam, which is a Sadrist militia.
Elizabeth TsurkovGUEST
It's not even backed by Iran.
Elizabeth TsurkovGUEST
And then Asa'ib and, um, Kata'ib Imam Ali.
Elizabeth TsurkovGUEST
So, um, they've not, uh, they've not disarmed.
Alistair TaylorHOST
And we're already seeing signs of, of vacillation in Baghdad.
Alistair TaylorHOST
The Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has delayed the deadline for militias to turn over their weapons to the state until the end of June next year, pushing that back from, from the initial deadline of September 30th.
Alistair TaylorHOST
What do you think it will take to see this effort through, and how can Washington best maintain pressure on local actors to help make that happen?
Robert S. FordGUEST
This is a really hard issue for the government in Baghdad, uh, because it is itself, uh, dominated by Shia Islamist political parties and political figures.
Mary MunseyCORRESPONDENT
President Trump last Wednesday
Donald TrumpSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
... a big win for America, and importantly, we leave with Iraq having a wonderful new prime minister, Ali Al-Zaidi.
Mary MunseyCORRESPONDENT
The Iraqi parliament approved Al-Zaidi in May.
Mary MunseyCORRESPONDENT
So far, analysts say Iraqis are happy with him, and Al-Zaidi says he's reached agreements with some militias.
Mary MunseyCORRESPONDENT
But Bill Roggio, with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, thinks the situation is tenuous.
Bill RoggioSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
You've had militia leaders say they, they would kill Iraq's president and prime minister if the, uh, I- Iran's supreme leader ordered them to do so.
Mary MunseyCORRESPONDENT
One of the biggest militias in Iraq has an estimated 230,000 plus members, and it's controlled by Iran.
Bill RoggioSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Our influence has waned year after year as the Iranian influence has skyrocketed.
Lawrence WilkersonGUEST
So look for this to expand possibly between now and November the 3rd as Bibi does what I think Trump has given him license to do.
Lawrence WilkersonGUEST
We must remember, Bibi's entire objective since he became prime minister is to complete the clean break strategy.
Lawrence WilkersonGUEST
Most of it has been accomplished.
Lawrence WilkersonGUEST
One would say Iraq is looking at a little doubtful in that regard right now because the United States is withdrawing, and you could say that Bahrain and Kuwait and UAE and Qatar all look a little bit doubtful in that regard.
10 MINS LATER
Donald TrumpSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
It was a quagmire.
Donald TrumpSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Many, many years it lasted, but soon that part of history will be over.
Donald TrumpSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
This is a great day for America, and importantly, we leave with Iraq having a wonderful new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi.
Donald TrumpSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Fantastic guy, friend of mine, and somebody I supported from the very beginning, and I fully endorse.
Donald TrumpSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
This is a great day for America.
Donald TrumpSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
And importantly, we leave with Iraq having a wonderful new prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi.
Donald TrumpSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Fantastic guy, friend of mine.
Donald TrumpSOUNDBITE_SPEAKER
Operation Inherent Resolve, which is what they called it, ends in 2026 under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump.
speaker_2HOST
The Revolutionary Guard called it a historic victory, and the militia Khatib Hezbollah said it was not bound by any timetable to hand over its weapons.
speaker_2HOST
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi confirmed June 30, 2027, as the outer deadline for armed factions to disarm and described October 1 as the serious beginning of that process.
speaker_2HOST
In Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Friday that rebuilding the war-damaged south exceeded what the state could manage alone.
speaker_2HOST
Israeli troops remained in a self-declared security zone about six miles deep, and Israel had resisted pulling back until Hezbollah disarmed.
Noa LeviHOST
This development comes after US forces withdrew from Iraq and Washington reportedly seeks to avoid a crisis with Baghdad.
Noa LeviHOST
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has supported the effort, which aims to ease travel for humanitarian, medical, tourism, and educational purposes.
Noa LeviHOST
Mahan Air has been under US sanctions since 2011 for its alleged support of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard corkwards force.
Noa LeviHOST
Commercial flights between Iran and Iraq were suspended last week as Iraq moved to comply with tightened US sanctions on Tehran's aviation sector.
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