Iraq and the US jointly announced an agreement last month to end the military mission of the US-led international coalition in the country no later than September 2025 and transition to “bilateral security partnerships in a manner that supports Iraqi forces and maintains pressure on ISIS.”
Ambassador Alina Romanowski said during a panel at Middle East Research Institute (MERI) Forum in Erbil on Tuesday that the announcement is “recognition that the work the coalition has been doing,” reiterating the intended relationships.
She noted that “the security forces in Iraq and frankly here in Iraqi Kurdistan have been making progress to be able to continue the enduring defeat of ISIS, which is the mission of the coalition - that’s why we were all invited here ten years ago.”
ISIS controlled swathes of Syrian and Iraqi territory at its height in 2014, leaving Iraq with no choice but to request assistance from the United States, three years after Washington chose to withdraw US troops from the country.
"We expect to be able to continue working on the enduring defeat of ISIS,” the top US diplomat added.
The Iraqi army and the Kurdish Peshmerga fought to retake areas of the country controlled by the extremists, declaring the territorial defeat of ISIS in 2017. The global coalition has provided both forces with support through the air and on the ground.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region continue to carry out regular operations against ISIS militants, and officials have said that the threat from the terror group is contained.
However, calls and threats from pro-Iran Iraqi militia groups for the withdrawal of US troops in the country have put immense pressure on Baghdad to accelerate the process.
US forces will continue operations at some level in Iraq through 2026 to support the coalition mission in northeast Syria (Rojava).
Romanowski said the future relationship with Baghdad will emphasize “trade and energy, human rights, governance, building a private sector, supporting the aspirations of the Iraqi people, especially women and youth in terms of building their future…”
The US ambassador also touched on tensions with Tehran, denying her country had any role in the Israeli airstrikes in Iran on Saturday morning.
Iraq is heavily dependent on gas imports from neighboring Iran for electricity. Washington has provided Iraq with repeated waivers since 2018 to help it bypass existing US sanctions on Iranian exports. The sanctions are intended to act as a short-term stopgap until Iraq can provide for its own energy needs.
Romanowski suggested that Iraq should seek independence in this sector and try to rely on other regional countries. She noted that the US has made Iraq’s energy independence a priority.
“And that meant a number of things. First of all, it was making sure that the Iraqi government could look at the resources that they have here in Iraq and make sure that they are used most efficiently. And one of the most important components of that was to look at capturing flaring gas,” she said.
The top US diplomat encouraged Iraq to look to its neighbors for energy resources.
“The way in which we want to ensure that Iraq has a way to provide energy, electricity, oil, [and] revenues from their very important sector is to have a modern, technically-efficient infrastructure and sector to include connections with their neighbors, which is Kuwait, Jordan, Saudi,” she said.
With the national grid unable to meet demand, many Iraqis rely on private generators that are environmentally damaging and expensive.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani repeatedly has said improving the energy sector is a priority of his cabinet, and Baghdad wants to be self-sufficient in its gas supply within the next five years.
French and Qatari energy companies on Monday signed a partnership to initiate a major solar power project in Iraq’s Basra province, with plans to generate up to 1.25 gigawatts of electricity, as the country seeks to diversify its energy sector.
“There are ways in which we are harnessing that electrical grid in the region to help support and help Iraq build its independence and its sovereignty, so that it doesn't have to find itself or have the unpleasant choice of violating those sanctions,” Romanowski added at the forum.
Regarding Washington-Erbil ties, Romanowski said the new US consulate compound is a “testament” to Washington’s commitment to the Kurdistan Region.
“Iraqi Kurdistan has been the beachhead for so many American businesses to come in and establish a foothold,” she stated, praising the Kurdistan Region’s democracy.
