What does that mean? Where does the U.S.-Iraq relationship go from here?

Well, thank you for having me on.

The relationship is going to broaden out.

It's going to not focus solely on security issues, not focus completely, you know, it's been very focused on the Iranian threat.

The U.S. has even imposed sanctions on Iraq to prevent U.S. dollars from reaching Iran.

And the U.S. has tried to have Iraq not buy, wean it off supplies of Iranian electricity and gas, natural gas.

It's going to broaden out to investment, maybe even, you know, information technology, artificial intelligence, investment, help Iraq diversify away from hydrocarbons exports like...

What does the American troop pullout mean for the fight against ISIL? And do you think it's going to lead to a resurgence, not only in Iraq, but in Syria as well?

So what's made this then a memorandum of misunderstanding?

Nagar, I think we have a much bigger problem than the Strait of Hormuz.

You know, Mr., as your reporters have said, the foreign minister, Aragshi, went to Oman today to try to work out a compromise, actually.

And he was making some progress.

And then the IRGC obviously did not think that any progress should be made.

And they went and attacked this Cypriot ship and set off another round of attacks.

of combat here.

But, I mean, how would a diplomatic one work, given that it constantly returns to violence?

So what can the US do to give Iran that confidence that it can commit to a peaceful negotiation process?

Well, thank you.

Thank you for having me.

Um, it's very hard, you know.

This is a five-decade conflict, basically, so it's very hard to build trust.

Obviously, the Iranians do not forget that Mr. Trump left the, uh, 2015 nuclear deal, the JCPOA.

They don't forget that, uh, Mr. Trump ordered the strike that killed, uh, Qasem Soleimani, the revered, uh, Quds Force, Revolutionary Guard, Quds Force commander.

So what do you think is going to prove to be the most difficult issue? Is it going to be the nuclear program, or is it going to be the conflict in Lebanon?

Uh, so Mr. Trump is claim- you know, a, a lot of those issues have been in- indirectly resolved already

alreadyAnd, and don't take that much more maybe negotiating, although the details are very complicated and will need the technical talks that are starting today and continuing.

Lebanon is, in some ways, harder.

And, uh, as I said in my first answer, uh, that, that is, in my view, a mistake for both the Islamic Republic and the United States to have agreed, uh, to, to make that Lebanon conflict part of this, uh, agreement between the US and Iran because that re- that involves, and other parties who are, who are not in the agreement, Hezbollah and, and Israel, and particularly Israel.

But obviously, Netanyahu's the head of a sovereign government.

Uh, it gets a lot of assistance from the United States, but it is not under the control of the United States.

As I said, Mr. Trump has influence over Israel, but he does not control Israel.

JD Vance has said, "These things are always a little bit messy," and I'm wondering if that looks like an effort to downplay the importance of that conflict in resolving this wider issue in the, in the Middle East.

Maliki a somewhat obscure gray figure at the time, and the US had quite a role, did they not, in choosing him and picking him? Um, they soon regretted that, did they not?

Um, thank you, James.

Uh, uh, thank you for having me.

Um, oh, yes, sir.

The US very much regretted Maliki.

And, uh, you, you were asking, you know, how, how did Maliki, uh, do when we, he was prime minister.

Let's not forget, Mr. Obama basically pushed him out in 2014.

What are they there for?