Senior U.S. State Department Official Visits the Middle East to Discuss Economic and Security Cooperation

Barbara Leaf, the Director for Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. State Department, is visiting Iraq and Jordan from Saturday, April 29 to Friday, May 5, to discuss a range of U.S. priorities in the region, including economic cooperation and security challenges, with officials from both countries. According to a statement from the U.S. State Department, she began her trip by meeting with Bisher Al-Khasawneh, the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Jordan, as well as Ayman Safadi, the Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister of Jordan, to discuss bilateral cooperation, economic reforms, and ways to expand the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Jordan. In Iraq, she will meet with senior government officials and members of Iraqi civil society to reaffirm Washington's commitment to a secure, stable, and independent Iraq. Barbara Leaf will focus on advancing the U.S. partnership with the Iraqi government and people in Baghdad and Erbil. This visit comes as Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, referred to the U.S. as an 'unreliable friend' during a meeting with Abdul Latif Rashid, the President of Iraq, stating that 'Iraq should not allow any American forces to enter its territory.' In recent years, Iranian proxy groups have carried out numerous drone and rocket attacks on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria. Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated recently, particularly in regional waters. The return of A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft to the skies of the Middle East follows reports that 23 American soldiers have suffered brain injuries due to attacks by 'Iranian-affiliated militants.' Additionally, the U.S. has seized a shipment from an Iranian oil tanker amid rising tensions, while the Iranian Navy has detained a tanker in international waters of the Sea of Oman.