Washington says it expects Al-Zaidi to honor his commitments and accuses Iran

The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that Washington expects Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi to fulfill the commitments he made to President Donald Trump during his visit to the United States last July, while accusing Tehran of exploiting armed factions to plunder Iraqis' resources and threaten their country's sovereignty.

A State Department spokesman said the commitments the United States requires include combating terrorism and preventing attacks inside Iraqi territory or launched from it, and building a U.S.–Iraqi partnership that serves the interests of both countries.

The spokesman added that the goal remains to achieve an Iraq that enjoys sovereignty, security and prosperity, enabling it to meet the needs of its people and to contribute to strengthening regional stability.

He stressed that Iran "has no constructive role to play in this endeavor," describing it as an untrustworthy party with a long history of using Iraqi militias to plunder the resources of the Iraqi people and threaten its sovereignty.

This assertion comes as U.S. pressure on the Iraqi government is mounting to tighten oversight of border crossings with Iran, amid concerns those crossings are being used to transfer equipment and materials that could reach armed groups.

Iraqi authorities announced the closure of the al-Shaib border crossing with Iran on Wednesday morning until further notice, based on directives issued from Baghdad, according to a source in the Maysan provincial council who revealed on Tuesday evening that the measure was attributed to technical reasons of an unspecified nature.

The most prominent recent security understandings between Baghdad and Washington date back to Al-Zaidi's visit to the White House on July 14, when the issue of armed factions and preventing attacks launched from Iraqi territory topped the discussions, alongside the future of security and economic cooperation.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, during his meeting with Al-Zaidi on September 21, reiterated the need to dismantle armed militias and prevent attacks originating from Iraq, and to strengthen the state's sovereignty over its territory.