Zaidi’s test in Tehran

Less than 24 hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi returned from Tehran on Thursday, Iraqi Kurdistan again came under attack.

Five explosive drones were intercepted over Erbil by US-led coalition air defenses, triggering explosions and smoke near the airport that hosts coalition forces and sits adjacent to the US consulate. While Iraq’s Kurdistan region is no stranger to attacks by Iran and its proxies, the timing was hard to ignore. For Tehran, despite the arrival of a new Iraqi prime minister promising a different path, it appears to be business as usual.

That is the challenge confronting Zaidi.

A former CEO with a results-oriented style, Zaidi has sought to recast Iraq as a bridge rather than a battleground between the United States and Iran. His priorities are straightforward: curb corruption, expand trade and attract foreign investment, strengthen state institutions for the Iraqi people, and bring armed militias under government control.