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Iraq PM says he will sign security deal with Britain

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani

14 January 2025 01:16 (UTC +04:00)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said on Monday he would sign a bilateral security deal with Britain as well as a strategic partnership accord as he headed to London for an official visit against a backdrop of historic shifts in the Middle East, APA reports citing Reuters.

Iraq is trying to avoid becoming a conflict zone once again amid a period of regional upheaval that has seen Iran's allies Hamas degraded in Gaza, Hezbollah battered in Lebanon and Bashar al-Assad ousted in Syria.

"It is definitely an important timing, both as it concerns the path of Iraq's relations with the U.K. and as a result of the development of the (regional) situation, which requires more consultations," Sudani told Reuters on Monday while en route from Baghdad to London.

Sudani said the security deal between the U.K. and Iraq would develop bilateral military ties after last year's announcement that the U.S.-led coalition set up to fight Islamic State would end its work in Iraq in 2026.