Iraqi PM Ali Al Zaidi holds talks in Bahrain in latest regional visit

Show caption: Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi was received by Bahrain's …

After visits to Jordan and Syria, Iraqi premier meets King Hamad and Crown Prince Salman in Manama to deepen bilateral co-operation

• Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi's visit to Bahrain marks the first by a post-2003 Iraqi leader to the kingdom.
• Mr Al Zaidi's regional tour has included Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, reflecting a broad diplomatic push.
• In Damascus, the two leaders discussed rehabilitating the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline, potentially opening a Mediterranean export route for Iraqi oil.
• Iraq is pursuing a "6+2" security framework uniting the six GCC states with Iraq and Iran to establish a regional security architecture.
• Crown Prince Salman described the visit as "an important launch for more co-operation and building economic partnerships," highlighting Iraq's pivotal regional role.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi held talks in the Bahraini capital Manama on Wednesday on the first visit to the kingdom by a leader of post-2003 Iraq.

Mr Al Zaidi expressed Iraq's keenness to “expand areas of co-operation and partnership between the two countries, in various economic, political and social sectors,” his office said.

The talks aim to improve co-operation in several fields in a way that “contributes to achieving the common interests of the two brotherly peoples,” it said.

Mr Al Zaidi was received by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, with whom he jointly chaired talks. He is also scheduled to meet King Hamad.

For his part, Prince Salman expressed his happiness at Al Zaidi’s visit, describing it as historic, the Iraqi statement said. He said it would be “an important launch for more co-operation and building economic partnerships,” describing Iraq as having a pivotal role in the region.

He also underlined Iraq’s efforts to “consolidate stability and peace in the region, as the essential pillar for achieving prosperity and economic integration among its countries.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Iraqi government spokesman Haider Al Aboudi said the prime minister will discuss with King Hamad “the political and economic co-operation between the two countries and the developments in the region”.

The Bahrain visit is the latest stop in an intensive regional tour by Mr Al Zaidi.

Last week, he visited Jordan, where he met King Abdullah II. It came days after Jordan carried out air strikes on what it described as ISIS positions in southern Syria. It strained relations between Damascus and Amman following a militant attack on a church in Jordan.

Two days later, Mr Al Zaidi travelled to Damascus for talks with Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara – the first visit by an Iraqi prime minister since the fall of Bashar Al Assad in 2024.

In Damascus, the two leaders discussed trade, investment, border security, and rehabilitating the Kirkuk-Baniyas oil pipeline, which could give Iraq another route for exporting oil through Syria to the Mediterranean.

They also discussed the restoration of organised Shiite pilgrimages to the Sayyida Zaynab shrine near Damascus, and Mr Al Zaidi visited both the shrine and the Umayyad Mosque.

The Damascus and Amman talks followed Mr Al Zaidi's meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as part of what his office has described as a push to normalise relations with neighbours and expand economic and energy co-operation.

Iraq’s relations with the Gulf have come under pressure since Israel and the US began their war on Iran in February. Iran-aligned groups in Iraq launched drones and missiles at targets in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE as well as Jordan.

Since taking office in May, Mr Al Zaidi has been moving to repair relations with Gulf states and to enhance ties in all fields. Baghdad has also been pushing for a formula bringing together the six GCC states plus Iraq and Iran in an initiative known as 6+2 to achieve a home-grown security architecture.

Updated:

November 04, 2026, 1:42 PM