‘New era’: Iraq prime minister says he will sign security deal with Britain

Mohammed Shia al-Sudani touts Iraq-UK ties in London visit, will sign security and strategic partnership deals

Reading Time:2 minutes

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani. Photo: Anadolu Agency / Pool via Reuters

Published: 7:10am, 14 Jan 2025Updated: 12:39pm, 14 Jan 2025

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Monday he would sign a bilateral security deal with Britain as well as a strategic partnership accord as he headed to London for an official visit against a backdrop of historic shifts in the Middle East.

Iraq is trying to avoid becoming a conflict zone once again amid a period of regional upheaval that has seen Iran’s allies Hamas degraded in Gaza, Hezbollah battered in Lebanon and Bashar al-Assad ousted in Syria.

A rare ally of both Washington and Tehran, Iraq’s balancing act has been tested by Iran-backed Iraqi armed groups’ attacks on Israel and on US troops in the country in the aftermath of the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war on October 7, 2023.

That has led to several rounds of tit-for-tat strikes that have since been contained, but some Iraqi officials fear an escalation after US president-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20.

Iraqi security forces on the outskirts of Baghdad. Photo: Reuters

“It is definitely an important timing, both as it concerns the path of Iraq’s relations with the UK and as a result of the development of the [regional] situation, which requires more consultations,” Sudani told Reuters on Monday while en route from Baghdad to London.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x