Iraqi PM urges US President-elect Donald Trump to work towards ending wars in West Asia

Iraqi Prime MinisterMohammed Shia al-Sudani held a telephone conversation with Donald Trump where he urged the US president-elect to end the ongoing wars in West Asia.

Amid Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon, Prime Minister Sudani, who was appointed to the top post in 2022,has been in a delicate balancing act to ensure his country is not drawn into the fighting.

The phone call between Sudani and Trump

According to a statement published by Sudani's office on Friday (Nov 8), the Iraqi PM in his phone call with Trump pointed to the Republican leader's"campaign statements and promises to work towards ending wars in the region (West Asia)."

"The two sides agreed to coordinate efforts in achieving this goal," Sudani's office said.

About 2,500 American troops are deployed in Iraq as part of a US-led coalition that was formed to help battle the Islamic State (ISIS).

How were Iraq-US relations under Trump's first presidency?

Under Trump's first term as US president from 2017-2021, relations deteriorated between Baghdad and Washingtonafter a US drone strike in January 2020 killed Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.

Also killed in the strike wasAbu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy head of Iraq's former paramilitary Hashed al-Shaabi that have been integrated into the armed forces.

As part of their investigations into Muhandis's assassination, the Iraqi judiciary issued a warrant for Trump's arrest in January 2021.

(With inputs from agencies)