Transcript [00:00] Hey everybody, the new Iraqi president, [00:02] Ali Allawi Saidi, was in the White House [00:05] today and we're going to cover that and [00:06] talk about this visit and some of the [00:08] things that were said there, some of the [00:10] things pres- and President Trump also [00:11] made a statement about Iran. Uh in in [00:14] the in the context of the Iraq [00:16] discussion that was very interesting [00:17] both in terms of his Iran strategy [00:19] and in terms of Iraq. Now, I made a [00:22] video recently about Iraq, about this [00:24] new uh Prime Minister. You should make [00:25] sure you go uh [00:26] you go check out that video. [00:28] Uh gives a little bit more background [00:30] and then I mentioned in that video that [00:31] this visit to Washington was going to be [00:33] coming up and here it is today, so we [00:36] are covering the story. Let's uh start [00:39] with uh [00:41] with a few short clips [00:43] from President Trump and [00:45] the Prime Minister of Iraq, Ali Allawi [00:48] uh Saidi in the Oval Office today. Here [00:51] we go. [00:55] >> Please, Mr. President. [00:56] >> Thank you. [01:01] >> Thank you for the warm welcome by His [01:03] Excellency President Trump. [01:07] This is my first visit [01:10] to the United States of America. [01:14] This visit was not just like any visit, [01:19] rather it's an announcement of economic [01:21] partnership. [01:23] I talked to His Excellency [01:27] 30th of September, the US forces would [01:30] be out of Iraq. While the US companies [01:31] will be inside Iraq. [01:39] The social relations is about like [01:41] economy, it's not like about like [01:43] military relations. [01:46] I would convey my greetings [01:49] the oldest civilization in the world [01:52] the biggest economic [01:55] and technology heart in the world. [01:57] I would like to express my gratitude to [01:59] His Excellency [02:00] My thanks to his Excellency the [02:02] President for the warm welcome. [02:05] >> Thank you very [02:07] Okay. [02:08] Now, [02:09] I'm not sure how clear that was uh for [02:12] you. Let me just make sure that everyone [02:14] heard what was [02:16] said here. [02:18] So, this was the opening statement of [02:20] Ali Al Al Zahidi. This was not response [02:24] to any question. The questions are going [02:25] to start right after this. [02:27] So, [02:28] that's why it's actually significant [02:31] what he said, [02:33] what he chose to mention in this very [02:36] short minute and a half [02:38] opening statement before taking [02:40] questions. [02:41] Cuz what did he do? He basically said, [02:42] "Thank you for the warm welcome. [02:45] This is my first time in the United [02:46] States. [02:49] The visit [02:50] is about economic partnership." [02:54] And then immediately after saying that, [02:55] he said, [02:58] "And I talked to his Excellency, I [03:00] talked to President Trump, and by the [03:01] 30th of September, US forces will be out [03:04] of Iraq, and US companies will be inside [03:07] Iraq." [03:09] And then, [03:10] he ended with [03:12] some platitudes. [03:15] The only definitive thing he said in his [03:17] statement, in his opening statement, was [03:19] that this is he came here for economic [03:21] reasons, [03:23] and [03:24] by the 30th of September, [03:26] the United States will be out of Iraq [03:28] because the again, the United States has [03:30] set this date, September 30th, to remove [03:34] uh to remove all of their uh [03:36] all of their troops from Iraq. [03:38] And that's what he emphasized. [03:41] Now, why did he emphasize exactly that? [03:42] Because [03:44] in Iraq, the whole issue of disarming [03:47] all the militias [03:48] is tied in with the United States forces [03:52] withdrawing. [03:53] Most of Iraq today is Shiite. That [03:55] doesn't mean that most of them are [03:56] pro-Iran, but they're not anti-Iran, and [03:59] there are a lot who are pro-Iran. [04:02] It's not the friendliest of nations. On [04:04] the other hand, the Shiites fought [04:06] alongside the Americans against ISIS to [04:08] get rid of ISIS in Iraq after the Saddam [04:11] Hussein fell. [04:12] So, there's been this working [04:13] relationship with the Shiites there. [04:16] And Al-Zaidi, Ali Al-Zaidi, this new [04:19] Prime Minister was appointed by that [04:22] Shiite block [04:24] that appointed him [04:25] as Prime Minister because their their [04:27] first choice President Trump would not [04:30] allow to serve. Go back and watch that [04:32] other video I made about Iraq [04:34] for more of the background information. [04:37] Okay. So, he's emphasizing in the [04:39] statement that the American troops will [04:41] be gone because that's what the Iraqi [04:42] people want to hear. They want to hear [04:44] that the United States is going to be [04:47] out of Iraq. [04:50] But, it that doesn't necessarily mean [04:53] that it's a signal that yay, we've [04:56] gotten the Americans. This isn't pulling [04:58] out of of Afghanistan and giving it over [05:01] to the Taliban. [05:03] He's signaling that the militias need to [05:06] go. Let me explain. Well, you know what? [05:09] The best way to explain it is let's [05:10] first watch a little bit more of this [05:13] press conference. There's a little bit [05:14] more to say. [05:16] Okay, we're going to watch a couple more [05:17] minutes. [05:18] >> Very much. [05:19] >> Mr. President [05:20] >> Mr. President [05:23] >> Thank you. [05:24] >> I have a question for the Prime [05:25] Minister. [05:26] >> Go ahead. [05:26] >> Thank you, sir. Uh [05:45] Mr. President, if I may [05:46] >> Who you with? [05:47] >> I'm with Al Arabiya. I cover the Middle [05:49] East and North Africa. I'm a freelance [05:51] journalist. [05:51] >> Okay. [05:52] >> Um sir, is the military attack on Iran, [05:55] is this a strategy to bring him back to [05:58] the table, or is it to [06:00] degrade them so the regime will [06:02] eventually fall? [06:04] >> Okay, the question she asked President [06:06] Trump is is the renewed attacks on Iran [06:10] now [06:11] meant to [06:13] uh bring them back to the negotiating [06:15] table, or is it meant to degrade them to [06:17] the point that the regime will fall? [06:19] >> Well, we don't think we need the [06:21] military there anymore. It's a very uh [06:24] a big operation. And what we do have is [06:27] the oil companies are all going in [06:28] there, and they're [06:30] uh doing partnerships with Iraq, [06:33] and they're getting along very well. The [06:35] relationship is a whole big relationship [06:37] where we don't need the military there. [06:39] We're there to help them. We're there to [06:41] protect them if need be, [06:42] but we don't think that's going to be [06:44] necessary. And their their primary uh I [06:46] considered an opponent, they might have [06:48] considered a friend, but I consider that [06:51] an opponent was Iran, was a big [06:54] burden on Iraq because they were the [06:57] bully of the Middle East, as you know. [06:59] And [07:00] >> You notice he just said, "They might [07:02] have considered them a friend, but I [07:03] consider them their opponent." [07:05] Because the Iraqis always have to play [07:07] footsie with the Iranians and are [07:08] somewhat aligned with them. [07:11] Um and are somewhat friendly with them, [07:13] have a Shiite population. [07:16] Um [07:17] ever since the fall of Saddam, [07:19] Iraq has been heavily influenced by the [07:21] Iranians. It's been almost like a [07:22] Lebanon type situation where the [07:24] Iranians, this outside state, through [07:27] their proxies that are part of the [07:28] government and and the and part of the [07:30] local militia, it's not structured [07:32] exactly the same way in both places, but [07:34] it's the same template that Iran [07:35] basically wields a lot of influence to [07:38] the point of really controlling the [07:40] government in Iraq, similar to what [07:43] they've had in Lebanon for all these [07:44] years. And he So, Trump is saying to the [07:46] Iraqis, [07:48] "It's time to really step away from [07:49] that." But, they also know that this uh [07:51] Al Al-Sadr, one of his goals is to [07:54] move away from the Iranian influence, [07:56] but do it in a way that does not tear [07:59] the Shiite coalition apart. [08:02] But, now Trump is going to say something [08:03] very interesting about the Middle East, [08:05] about Iraq and the and he calling Iraq [08:07] the bully of the Middle East. What I [08:09] found interesting about this little clip [08:11] is that [08:13] in the way Trump's talking about this [08:14] situation, he really [08:17] kind of lays out, kind of explains the [08:21] underlying logic [08:23] of what he's doing in the Middle East [08:25] beyond Iraq. What he's really doing in [08:27] the Middle East right now with Iran, [08:28] what his real goal is. [08:30] It's interesting. We were just talking [08:32] about that, but they're not going to [08:33] have that problem anymore because [08:36] Iran has been very much [08:39] destabilized and really [08:42] their military [clears throat] power is [08:44] just a tiny fraction of what it was just [08:46] 4 months ago. So, they're not going to [08:48] have that problem. I think that it's [08:50] really in a sense it's given them [08:51] freedom to do what they have to do. And [08:53] I think that's one of the reasons that [08:55] our oil companies are going in there at [08:58] levels that have never been seen before. [09:00] So, [09:03] Okay. [09:04] We have got to unpack this. [09:07] I thought it was very interesting. You [09:08] know, President Trump doesn't [09:10] uh you know, lay out his policies in [09:14] in a systematic way that someone, you [09:16] know, delivering a briefing would. He [09:17] just kind of lets these comments drop. [09:21] He talks about giving them their [09:22] freedom. He says, you know, here we are, [09:23] we're degrading the Iranians [09:26] and [09:27] and we're [09:29] going to be we're bringing American [09:31] companies into Iraq to invest. [09:34] And that is giving the Iraqis the [09:36] opportunity [09:38] It's giving them a chance to step away [09:41] from Iranian influence. Again, the [09:42] combination of weakening the weakening [09:44] the Iranian regime, he says they're not [09:46] going to have to worry about that [09:46] anymore. They're not going to have to [09:48] worry about Iran being the bully of the [09:49] Middle East. You're not going to have to [09:51] worry about living under their thumb. [09:53] And we're going to come in with big [09:55] investments [09:56] to keep you in our orbit, to keep you [10:00] away from Iran, to strengthen you so [10:02] that you can [10:03] liberate yourself [10:05] from the clutches of the Iranian regime. [10:09] That's the [10:10] That's the [10:11] That's the template. But now take a look [10:14] at how Trump has approached Lebanon, how [10:16] the Trump administration Look at the [10:18] deal that Marco Rubio brokered between [10:20] Israel and the Lebanese government. The [10:22] whole point of that deal was to look at [10:25] Iran and say, "You have no say in our [10:26] internal affairs." [10:29] So, [10:30] we can we think about dismantling the [10:32] terror proxies [10:34] as we think about it in terms of Hamas, [10:37] Hezbollah, the Houthis, [10:38] the shipping of weapons, the control of [10:41] these militias. [10:42] But there's something else that's not [10:44] exactly the proxies, but it's it's a [10:46] it's it's it is the proxies, but it's [10:48] the political side of the proxies. [10:51] The Houthis control of Southwest Yemen. [10:54] I'm sorry, of Northwest Yemen, Northern [10:56] Yemen and and the western part of the [10:58] state. [10:59] The Lebanese control Sorry, the [11:01] Hezbollah control, which is really [11:02] Iranian control of the Lebanese [11:04] government. The Iranian control of the [11:06] Iraqi government through the Shiite [11:08] block. [11:09] What Trump is doing here is [11:12] we're we're degrading the Iranian [11:13] regime, [11:15] but also using diplomatic tools and [11:18] economic tools, investment, etc., [11:22] to [11:23] incentivize these countries [11:26] that have been under the colonial [11:30] control, as it were, of the Iranian [11:32] regime, Lebanon and Iraq to liberate [11:35] themselves, to give them the strength, [11:37] to give them the backing, give them the [11:39] the domestic incentive structure with [11:41] through economic deals that could create [11:43] jobs and bring prosperity [11:45] to rest them away from the Iranians as [11:47] the Iranians are being degraded and [11:49] weakened. [11:51] I think that is the [11:52] that's actually the [11:55] you know, the template for how Trump [11:56] sees the Middle East going forward. I [11:59] also [12:00] feel very strongly [12:02] with every passing day now since Trump [12:04] said, you know, the ceasefire's [12:06] basically over and started hitting again [12:08] that [12:10] and with now with the return of the [12:11] blockade [12:13] that Trump really is moving towards [12:16] just causing the regime to collapse. [12:19] And it could take a little bit longer, [12:21] it could take a little bit shorter. It's [12:23] not all about you know, which you know, [12:24] which bombs are dropped, the strangling [12:27] economically [12:28] but also these diplomatic moves, you [12:30] know, trying to pull away these [12:32] countries [12:34] giving them their sovereign, helping [12:36] them [12:37] achieve their sovereignty. [12:39] Okay, let's go back to the clip. There's [12:40] more here. [12:42] Oh, [snorts] you know, before we go back [12:43] to the clip let me let me just [12:46] do our little public service [12:47] announcement here. [12:49] We're having a webinar, we're hosting a [12:51] very important webinar this coming [12:53] Monday 1:00 p.m. Eastern time, 8:00 p.m. [12:55] in Israel. [12:56] Are we headed for regime change? What to [12:58] expect from the Middle East? This is an [12:59] absolute all-star [13:02] all-star cast. It's you know, the 27 [13:05] Yankees murderers row. Look at this [13:06] group. I'm going to be hosting [13:08] and we're going to have a panel with [13:10] Brigadier General Amir Avivi, one of the [13:13] top one of the top [13:15] defense experts in Israel [13:18] founder [clears throat] of the [13:21] the Israel Defense and Security Forum. [13:23] We have Brian Kennedy, former president [13:24] of the Claremont Institute. We have Dr. [13:26] David Wurmser, [13:27] senior analyst [13:29] for Middle East affairs at the Center [13:30] for Security Policy, one of the top [13:32] minds in the world. You're You're very [13:34] familiar with him if you watch the [13:35] videos we put up on Israel 365 News. We [13:37] have him every week. And of course, [13:40] uh [13:41] Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus, [13:43] one of the greatest analysts on Israel [13:46] in the Middle East that you'll ever see. [13:47] You've probably seen him on TV. [13:49] And he is He's going to be joining us as [13:51] well from the Foundation for Defense of [13:53] Democracies. Sign up for this webinar [13:55] even if you can't make it because [13:58] once you're signed up, you will get an [13:59] email with the full webinar [14:01] after the webinar airs. So, even if you [14:04] can't make it live, [14:05] uh [14:06] make sure to sign up. [14:08] And uh you can only get that link by [14:10] signing up. So, go ahead and do that. [14:12] The link is in the description of this [14:13] video. [14:15] Or you can um [14:18] alternatively, you can uh click this QR [14:20] code and that'll also That's another way [14:22] you can sign up. So, uh the link in the [14:24] description of the video is um [14:27] is [14:29] um [14:30] israel365.com/regime. [14:34] That's Monday, 1:00 p.m. Eastern, [14:36] 8:00 p.m. in Israel. [14:39] Okay, let's go back to the clip. [14:45] Okay, let's remove that and let's go [14:47] back to the clip here. [14:49] Here we are. [14:55] >> Thank you for your question. [14:56] Just thank you for your question. [15:00] Well, according to the program of the [15:01] government, [15:03] is to restrict the possession of weapons [15:05] to the state. [15:08] And this is basic point. [15:12] And I have them This is like a decision. [15:13] It's not an option. [15:16] We received [15:19] weapons by different factions. Well, he [15:21] who [15:23] his weapon and turn into [15:25] a political and civilian [15:28] we will [15:30] cooperate with them [15:33] after the 30th of September [15:36] there's no any need for the presence of [15:38] any faction [15:40] as factions [15:42] is a need, is not a profession there's [15:44] no any justification for their existence [15:46] after the 30th of [15:50] the September by the end of this year or [15:51] by the beginning of next year [15:53] so by the end of this year or by the [15:54] beginning of next year we will announce [15:55] the biggest conference [15:58] the [15:59] sovereignty conference is the biggest [16:01] conference in the region [16:04] the Iraqi decisions by the hand of the [16:06] Iraqis only our security forces [16:11] are capable of protecting their borders [16:14] after the 30th of September we will not [16:16] allow any entity to carry weapons [16:20] except for any entity to carry weapons [16:22] outside the control of the state [16:26] >> Okay. [16:27] This was huge. Just in case you missed [16:29] it, let me do a quick review [16:31] of what he said here. [16:35] Okay. [16:36] So, he said [16:39] um [16:41] he was asked about weapons only being in [16:44] the hands of the state, meaning that [16:46] meaning the disarming of all the [16:47] militias in Iraq. [16:48] And he says that according to the [16:50] program of the government [16:52] it's a very basic point that the only [16:55] weapons can be in the hands of the [16:56] state, meaning all the militias have to [16:57] be disarmed. [16:59] But then he says something very [17:00] interesting. [17:02] He says [17:05] after the 30th of September, there's no [17:08] need for the presence of any faction. [17:11] And this is an exact quote, because [17:13] factions are a need, not a profession. [17:17] There's no justification for their [17:18] existence after the 30th of September. [17:23] What on earth is he talking about? Now, [17:25] he said the same thing in an interview [17:28] with Asharq Al-Awsat [17:30] uh the which is a Saudi uh a major Saudi [17:33] media outlet. Uh he he made uh he made a [17:36] similar statement in an interview. So, I [17:38] dug up the interview. It's a very long [17:40] interview. I'm just going to read you [17:40] this one section. [17:42] And this is uh from a few weeks ago. Has [17:45] the government negotiated with factions [17:46] that reject confining arms to the state? [17:49] What if their rejection becomes final [17:50] after the withdrawal? What would the [17:52] government be forced to [17:54] would the government be forced to [17:55] confront them? In other words, this is [17:57] Think Hezbollah in Lebanon, state wants [17:59] to disarm them. [18:00] But in Iraq, you have all bunch of [18:03] different factions, like half a dozen [18:04] different Shiite factions, [18:07] who are all sort of part of the state [18:09] the same way Hezbollah is sort of part [18:10] of the state in Lebanon or was for many [18:11] years. [18:13] And now they're they're looking to [18:15] disarm all of them. And he's basically [18:18] being asked, what happens if any of them [18:19] refuse to disarm [18:21] by the deadline that you set, then what [18:23] do you do? [18:24] And they all have to be disarmed before [18:26] the Americans will leave. So, any [18:28] faction that refuses to disarm is going [18:30] to be viewed by the Iraqi people as [18:31] causing the Americans to remain. So, he [18:33] set the the deadline for the disarming [18:36] of the factions as September 15th. [18:39] Okay, that's the deadline he set, if I'm [18:41] not mistaken. [18:43] So, here's his answer. [18:45] Let us state this clearly. There's no [18:47] force other than the force of the state, [18:49] and we will use the force of the law to [18:50] impose it. There will be no weapons [18:52] other than the weapons of the state. [18:54] Some view the plan to confine arms to [18:56] the state as little more than a symbolic [18:58] measure adopted to accommodate political [19:00] forces. [19:01] If we listen to the skeptics, we will [19:03] never reach a result. [19:05] As for the factions, they are [19:07] ideologically driven groups. We believe [19:10] that their publicly declared acceptance [19:12] of giving up their weapons is an [19:13] important and and significant beginning. [19:16] In reality, we have received various [19:18] types of weapons from Saraya al-Salam, [19:21] Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, and Kata'ib Imam Ali. [19:25] These are three different Shiite groups. [19:27] He's giving examples of Shiite groups [19:29] that they they've already received [19:31] weapons from. [19:33] More important than the handover of [19:34] weapons, however, is severing the [19:36] relationship between a faction and the [19:37] fighters under its command. We can't [19:40] have fighters running around [19:42] um and and you know, or or we can't have [19:45] a violent faction that actually has [19:47] fighters. [19:48] The weapons of these factions are now [19:49] effectively in the custody of the state. [19:51] Only a small quantity remains. [19:53] A mechanism will soon begin for handing [19:55] over the remaining weapons to the armed [19:57] forces. This file will be addressed in [20:00] its entirety. Nothing is stronger than [20:01] the state. We believe that resistance is [20:04] a necessity, not a profession, and the [20:06] need for it has ended. Now, what is he [20:08] referring to here? [20:10] Resistance is a necessity, not a [20:12] profession, and the need for it has [20:14] ended. And then we saw similar language [20:16] in this in this little interview clip [20:18] sitting in the Oval Office [20:20] where when he was talking about [20:22] disarming factions, [20:24] he said, "After the 30th of September, [20:26] there's no need for any presence of any [20:28] faction because factions is a need, not [20:31] a profession. There's no justification [20:33] for their existence after the 30th of [20:35] September." [20:38] Let me explain what he's actually [20:39] saying. [20:41] He's saying that resistance. Now, what [20:42] is resistance in Shiite [20:45] language in the Middle East today? [20:47] Resistance is resisting the Americans, [20:50] resisting the Israelis. [20:52] It it Iran refers to its proxy network [20:56] as the axis of resistance. [20:59] So, he's saying resistance is a [21:01] necessity. It's a need. [21:04] It's not a profession. It's not [21:05] something you do permanently. [21:07] And after September 30th, [21:10] when the Americans leave, [21:13] and there's no Americans to resist [21:15] anymore, there's no need for any [21:18] factions. There's no need for your [21:19] weapons. Meaning, if the Americans are [21:20] staying, [21:22] we understand why you're still [21:24] resisting. But, why you still want your [21:26] weapons, to be a terrorist group, to be [21:28] part of the resistance. [21:30] But, if the Americans are gone, why do [21:32] you still exist as a faction? Who are [21:34] you fighting? [21:36] Oh, you're an enemy of the state. [21:39] You're a destabilizing factor in the [21:41] state. [21:42] It's just like the logic behind [21:43] Hezbollah being allowed to keep their [21:45] weapons in the in the Taif Agreement [21:48] at the end of the Lebanese [21:51] civil war. At the end of the Lebanese [21:53] civil war, when they negotiated the end [21:55] of that war, [21:56] the agreement was that Hezbollah could [21:59] retain its weapons, even though weapons [22:01] are supposed to be in the hands of the [22:02] state. They could retain their weapons [22:04] for the purpose of the resistance [22:06] against Israel across the border, across [22:08] the southern border of Lebanon. [22:10] So, similarly, the similar logic is at [22:13] work here. [22:14] What he's saying is, everyone has to [22:16] give up their weapons. [22:18] Ah, you might argue you need them to [22:20] resist the Americans, to fight the [22:22] Americans. But, after September 30th, [22:25] when the Americans are gone, you don't [22:26] need your weapons anymore. [22:29] Okay? That's the logic behind what he is [22:33] saying here. [22:36] Now, he also mentioned a conference. You [22:38] notice he said that we will be convening [22:39] a sovereignty conference. What is he [22:42] talking about? So, this is really [22:43] interesting. He made this announcement [22:45] in the same interview, [22:48] somewhere else in the interview, but [22:49] here's a short report of it. Iraqi PM [22:52] announces sovereignty conference on arms [22:54] monopoly. Iraqi Prime Minister Ali [22:56] Allawi Zaidi said that his government [22:58] will convene a national sovereignty [23:00] conference by the end of the year to [23:02] cement the state's exclusive control [23:04] over arms while aiming to complete the [23:07] disarmament of factions [23:09] by September 30th. He noted that the [23:12] conference would formally establish the [23:14] only the only state and its security for [23:17] that only the state and its security [23:18] forces have the right to bear arms. [23:20] There will be no armed groups outside [23:22] the framework of the state. You know, [23:24] let me actually find uh [23:26] where he talks about the conference in [23:28] here. I think that's an almost an exact [23:30] quote. [23:31] Here it is. [23:38] Here, at the end of the year we will [23:39] announce a national sovereignty [23:40] conference that will enshrine the [23:41] exclusive possession of force by the [23:43] state. Yeah, that's what they say here. [23:44] Now, what is this about? What is this [23:46] sovereignty conference? Well, what he [23:48] wants to do [23:51] is call a conference [23:53] where other states, remember he said [23:55] it'll be a regional conference where [23:56] other states will get will come to this [23:59] conference to all support and declare [24:02] their support for this the independent [24:04] sovereignty of Iraq. What does he mean [24:05] independent sovereignty? Aren't they a [24:06] sovereign nation? No, what it means is [24:09] free of the influence of foreign [24:12] nations, free of the influence of for [24:14] example, Iran. Here, you know, we should [24:16] actually take a look [24:18] at what he says uh [24:20] um here there's this there's this [24:22] opinion piece that was also in Asharq [24:25] Al-Awsat. So, Asharq Al-Awsat is a Saudi [24:28] outlet and you'll see why this matters [24:29] in a moment. And this is uh this is a an [24:32] opinion piece by a well-known Saudi [24:34] journalist, Mishari Al-Zaydi. [24:36] And it was done a few weeks ago it was [24:38] done was done July 1st, so a week and a [24:39] half ago. [24:41] 2 weeks ago. [24:43] And what he says here, he's praising [24:45] Al-Zaydi for all the moves he's making. [24:47] And then at the end of it [24:48] he says as follows, "One major issue [24:50] remains and it's just as problematic as [24:53] corruption if not even more so, the [24:54] question of bringing weapons under state [24:56] control, reclaiming the decision of war [24:59] and peace, and preventing Iran from [25:02] using Iraqi territory to attack [25:05] neighboring countries, especially the [25:06] Gulf states and Jordan. [25:09] Al-Zubaidi acknowledged the problem. He [25:11] said he had asked neighboring countries [25:12] to provide evidence, meaning evidence of [25:14] attacks from their territory, and he had [25:16] instructed the security chiefs to be [25:17] firm in the matter, but he closed with a [25:19] telling statement, "I urge, however, [25:21] that the present not be judged through [25:23] the lens of the past. We found the [25:25] situation already in place when we [25:26] assumed responsibility. [25:29] It is in our people's interest to build [25:31] distinguished relations with the [25:33] international community, neighboring [25:34] countries, Arab Gulf states. [25:37] Iraq is a state, not a village, [25:38] Al-Zubaidi stressed. If he succeeds in [25:40] purging Iraq of the major figures of [25:42] corruption and their networks, and [25:44] freeing it from the militias loyal to [25:46] Iran's revolutionary guard that prey on [25:50] Iraq's sovereignty and its ties with its [25:52] neighbors than the people of Iraq, [25:53] indeed the people of the region, will [25:55] carve his name alongside the noble [25:58] immortals. [26:00] What this guy is saying is that [26:05] um [26:06] is that [26:08] getting Iraq independent of Iranian [26:10] influence is the goal here. The Saudis, [26:14] Asharq Al-Awsat is a Saudi outlet. The [26:16] Saudis are building up this this this [26:19] idea. They're promoting him. This big [26:22] interview where he revealed this idea of [26:24] a national sovereignty conference. They [26:26] want to bring heads of state from the [26:27] region together, and they want to they [26:29] want to just kind of it's all going to [26:31] be a festival of support for Iraqi [26:34] sovereignty and calling all of the [26:35] militias to submit to one Iraqi [26:38] sovereignty, and and free of Iranian [26:41] influence. And the Saudis are going to [26:42] be investing in this. The Americans are [26:44] going to be investing in this. This is [26:46] part of dismantling Iran's influence [26:50] in the region, but it's also how Iraq [26:52] will achieve its sovereignty. One last [26:54] thing is that a sovereignty conference [26:57] like this [26:58] has actually already [27:00] been suggested 6 years ago and it never [27:03] went anywhere. Let me show you this [27:05] interesting story I dug up. [27:08] So look at this. Parliament calls to [27:10] hold an international conference to [27:12] support Iraqi sovereignty. This is from [27:15] 2020. [27:17] Al-Fatah MP has Hamid al-Musawi [27:22] intended to submit a request to the [27:24] parliament presidency to adopt an [27:26] international conference to support [27:27] Iraqi sovereignty. [27:29] And he calls on a global conference to [27:31] be held in Baghdad and come out with [27:32] international support for Iraqi [27:34] sovereignty in addition to concluding [27:36] agreements with the countries during the [27:38] conference stipulating the commitment to [27:41] of all to the unity and sovereignty of [27:43] Iraq and its removal from the arena of [27:46] international conflicts. In other words, [27:47] stop dragging us into other wars. It [27:50] This is a way of saying getting rid of [27:52] Iranian influence. [27:54] He added that the international [27:55] conference will be a valuable [27:56] opportunity to support the world in [27:59] making the year 2020 the year of Iraqi [28:02] sovereignty. This is in January of 2020. [28:05] He did He said this. [28:07] So this idea that was floated by this MP [28:10] 6 years ago [28:12] is now suddenly in the offing to have a [28:15] conference that supports Iraqi [28:16] sovereignty. But you see here It's why [28:19] what I said about Trump's overall [28:21] strategy in the Middle East being [28:22] represented by this moment with Iraq. He [28:25] gets his new guy into Iraq, [28:27] brings him over to the United States, [28:29] sits down, says, "Okay, we're going to [28:30] cut you all kinds of deals. We're going [28:32] to have American companies going over [28:33] there to invest in your infrastructure, [28:35] to invest in your oil companies. There's [28:37] a lot of money there and we're going to [28:39] help you stabilize. [28:40] If you're saying that you can only [28:42] disarm the militias if we leave, fine. [28:45] We're going to set a date, September [28:46] 30th, we're out of there, but you have [28:48] to have the militias disarmed. [28:50] Bring it and [28:51] and the and the entire thrust of the [28:53] diplomacy and of the pressure is to [28:56] disengage from Iranian influence. It's [28:58] the same playbook as Lebanon, although [29:00] it's a different situation, so it plays [29:02] out a little bit differently. But I [29:03] think you can see the underlying uh the [29:06] underlying thought process of Trump's uh [29:08] foreign policy [29:10] uh in the region through this uh through [29:11] this event. Okay. All right, folks, [29:14] that's it for this one. Uh please make [29:15] sure to sign up for the for the webinar. [29:18] The link is in the description of the [29:20] video, or you can go to [29:21] israel365action.com [29:23] and sign up there. All right, God bless.
