Amid escalation with Iran, Trump administration to hold key meetings with Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel today

As the US continues to trade fire with Iran, it continues intensive diplomatic efforts to shape the region.

US President Donald Trump will meet with Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi today at the White House, a Shiite figure he backed after threatening to cut off aid to Baghdad if the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework coalition supported former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. Trump sees Maliki as too close to Tehran.

The issue of Iran is likely to loom large in the discussions. Iraq has been under pressure to disarm a network of Iran-backed militias operating in the country, some of which launched attacks on US bases and diplomatic facilities after the US and Israel launched their war against Iran in February. Officially, the Iraqi government has given non-state armed groups until the end of September to disarm, but some of the most powerful militias have said they have no intention of doing so.

In Rome, two days of US-backed talks between Israel and Lebanon are set to begin, focusing on a pilot program that will see the Lebanese Armed Forces move into areas vacated by the IDF.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will meet Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at the State Department this afternoon. Jordan has come under repeated missile attack by Iran over the past week.