Iraqi PM on regional turmoil, partnership with U.S.

GEOFF BENNETT: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani is in Washington this week, a trip that was scheduled before the Iranian attack over the weekend that sent hundreds of drones and missiles toward Israel.

The sharp increase in Mideast tensions has become a focus of his visit, which we discussed in a wide-ranging interview today.

But, first, a look at what else is on his agenda, including the future of U.S.-Iraq security cooperation and improving Iraq's economy.

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani kicked off his Washington visit at the White House, meeting with President Biden on Monday to discuss the status of U.S. forces in Iraq, as well as expanding economic and diplomatic ties.

JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: The partnership between Iraq and the United States is critical.

We have seen over the last decade as our troops have served side by side to help defeat ISIS, and we have seen this in our strategic framework agreement as well.

GEOFF BENNETT: But the meeting was overshadowed by Iran's drone and missile attacks on Israel this past weekend.

Al-Sudani called for restraint to avoid an escalation of the conflict.

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI, Iraqi Prime Minister (through translator): We encourage all the efforts about stopping the expansion of the area of conflict, especially the latest development.

And we encourage all for restraints and to protect the safety and security of the region.

GEOFF BENNETT: While in Washington, the prime minister is hoping to boost U.S. investment in Iraq's economy and expand the relationship with the U.S. beyond security, all while shoring up a long and complicated relationship.

In 2003, the U.S. invaded Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein's regime, while vowing to destroy weapons of mass destruction.

As it turns out, there were no chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.

The war killed nearly 5,000 U.S. service members, and it's estimated that half-a-million Iraqis died, according to a University of Washington study.

After the U.S. withdrew its troops in 2011, the Islamic State took over parts of Iraq.

In 2014, U.S. forces returned to the country at the Iraqi government's request to help recapture territory from ISIS and train Iraqi forces.

That same year, elections in Iraq saw a coalition government come to power that included Iranian sympathizers.

Some 2,500 American military service personnel are currently stationed in Iraq.

Many Iraqis want coalition troops gone and have been pressuring the Iraqi government to demand the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country.

Those demands have only intensified since the war in Gaza started last October, a situation complicated by the presence of Iran-backed militias in Iraq that have attacked U.S. forces, one of which, Kataib Hezbollah, launched a drone strike earlier this year that killed three U.S. service members at a base in Jordan.

And, last year, the same group abducted Princeton researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, a dual Israeli-Russian citizen, drawing international attention, all of it serving as the backdrop for the prime minister's visit and the basis of our interview this morning in Washington.

Mr. Prime Minister, welcome to the "NewsHour."

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): You're most welcome.

GEOFF BENNETT: Your visit comes at a sensitive time for U.S. relations in the Middle East, following Iran's unprecedented strike on Israel over the weekend.

The attack has inflamed concerns of a wider regional war.

President Biden, whom you met with earlier this week, says Iraq has a role to play in maintaining the peace.

How do you view your role?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): The region is witnessing turmoil in the Red Sea, Lebanon, Syria, and recently this escalation, which happened after the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, which is a dangerous development and a violation of international law.

Iraq has tried after the Damascus event to de-escalate, and we urge the Iranian side not to respond to that.

The attention of the Netanyahu government is for these regional tensions to continue.

And, unfortunately, when these wars continue in our region, that impacts the security and the stability of those who live there.

GEOFF BENNETT: The U.S. helped block Iran's attack on Israel last weekend by using Iraqi airspace to shoot down drones and shoot down an Iranian missile over Iraq, but your military did not participate in that effort.

Why not?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): Our security capabilities are still developing, so they can protect our airspace.

Iraq and its security policy aims to keep the country away from any conflict or attack on other nations, because the ultimate goal is the security and stability of Iraq, especially in these difficult times.

GEOFF BENNETT: If there is an Israeli attack on Iran that uses Iraqi airspace, what will you do?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): Iraq rejects the use of its airspace from any country.

We don't want Iraq to be engaged in the area of conflict.

And I reiterate and stress that this escalation will engage the region in dangerous calculations, that nobody will control the reactions.

This is why part of our talks with Mr. Biden were to urge the parties to de-escalate and to end these developments.

From our side, we will exert efforts in order to achieve this objective.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk about the U.S. security arrangement in Iraq.

The U.S. has some 2,500 troops in Iraq largely advising and assisting local forces to prevent a resurgence of ISIS.

The Iraqi Parliament declared that U.S. advisers should leave.

Is that departure based on a timetable, or is it based on the security situation on the ground?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): Our Parliament's decision in 2020 and the October 2022 government program called for the end of the global coalition's mission, which was done in coordination with the United States.

This coalition emerged upon the invitation of the Iraqi government in 2014.

We are speaking about 10 years ago.

Now there is a noticeable stability in the region.

There is preparedness of the Iraqi security forces.

And ISIS now is no longer a threat to the safety and security of Iraq.

This led the Parliament and political forces to end the mission and to transition into a security bilateral relationship with the United States and the rest of the countries of the global coalition.

GEOFF BENNETT: I hear you say ISIS is not a threat, but, this week, the defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, while standing next to you, said ISIS remains a threat to your citizens and to ours.

How is ISIS no longer a threat?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): ISIS inside Iraq doesn't represent a threat to the security of Iraq.

The elements of ISIS are in Syria, and we are working with the global coalition to secure our borders with the Syrians in order to prevent any infiltrations.

The cells of ISIS are there.

We are not speaking about armed people.

We are speaking about ideology, extremist ideology that believes in killing and violence.

We are tracking the recruitment and financing cells, and we are working on limiting them, controlling them.

This is one of our concerns.

What happened in Gaza will lead to a double escalation and violence and maybe we will regenerate a new Da'esh, ISIS.

GEOFF BENNETT: The last time the U.S. withdrew from Iraq, ISIS took over a good deal of the country, and the U.S. military had to come back into Iraq to fight against them.

What's to prevent that from happening again?

Are the Iraqi security forces that have been trained by American troops, are they now capable of fending off a resurgent, potentially resurgent ISIS?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): This is an important question.

Certainly, the situation in Iraq is different radically now than in 2014.

Now ISIS does not have popular domestic incubators everywhere in the region, especially the liberated area.

Also, the Iraqi security forces have gained unique experience at the advanced level, the top levels among forces in the region, in counterterrorism.

Another thing is the political stability.

My government is supported by 280 members of a broad coalition of 329 members that include all the components of the Iraqis.

This is a factor of strength, and there is the economic development.

In Iraq, we are not speaking about ISIS anymore.

Only here, when I speak with the media, do we talk about ISIS.

In Iraq, we're speaking about development, about investment in companies, universities, culture.

GEOFF BENNETT: I do want to talk about economic development, but, first, do you expect any U.S. advisers to leave Iraq this year, in 2024?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): We have agreed on a framework in the joint security dialogue and then also issued a joint statement with President Biden and committed to the outcome of the U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission, which will assess the capabilities and operational conditions.

According to that, we will have a timetable about how to end this mission.

GEOFF BENNETT: Iranian-backed militia groups continue to operate from Iraq, and this is even after they killed three U.S. troops on the border with Syria.

You say you won't allow Iraqi territory to be used by any nonstate actor, but the fact is, they still operate on Iraqi soil.

Why is that?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): The government has repeatedly stated its commitment to not allow any one side to play an outsized role in any operations that will lead to destabilization and lack of security.

We have made that clear and we have taken practical measures against all those groups attacking diplomatic missions and military bases in Iraq.

And we will not hesitate to take legal measures against anyone who wants to tamper with our security.

GEOFF BENNETT: Half of Iraq's population, as I understand it, Mr. Prime Minister, is under the age of 25.

Most of them were born after the invasion.

And there is some 32 percent unemployment, if I have that number right, that affects that age group.

Why is that the case in Iraq, which is such an oil-rich nation, and what do you need to change that?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): This is one of the strength factors that we have in Iraq, that we have a young population and human capital that we have to invest in.

This is one of the priorities of my government.

We're trying to reform the economy, so that we're not entirely dependent on oil.

We want to diversify revenues in tourism and agriculture, and we focus on education and health in order to provide young people job opportunities and entrepreneurship programs.

We don't want young people to depend solely on government jobs.

We want them to be involved in the private sector.

Now, traveling with us are a number of businessmen of the private sector of Iraq that have been meeting for two days with U.S. companies and businessmen.

GEOFF BENNETT: As you try to entice U.S. companies to invest in Iraq, do recent developments in the region undermine or at least complicate your message that Iraq is a safe place for American investments and American workers?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): I will give you a simple example.

The Basra Oil Company, one of the companies of the Oil Ministry in southern Iraq, just this company has contracts with 34 American companies that are currently in Iraq.

We also have different European and Western companies working in Iraq in different sectors.

There is a good number of investments that amount to $5 million with Qatari companies.

Emirati and Saudi companies are also trying to enter.

This is what we are talking about in Iraq about investment opportunities.

That means that we have safety, an attractive environment for investment.

GEOFF BENNETT: Elizabeth Tsurkov, an Israeli-Russian woman who was a graduate student at Princeton, she was kidnapped by Kataib Hezbollah.

This is the Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group that is backed by Iran.

What are you doing to ensure her release?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): After the kidnapping incident, we formed a broad security team to track the investigation and to track all the information in order to reveal the fate of this citizen and also to follow the perpetrators.

GEOFF BENNETT: Her family and friends say that you have the influence and the relationships needed to free her, that you have done that before for other captives of this same group.

Will you do that for Elizabeth?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): Our measures are continuous and investigators are monitoring every piece of information to reveal the fate of that citizen.

GEOFF BENNETT: Finally, considering the legacy of the U.S. involvement in Iraq, looking back, is Iraq better off now than before 2003?

Is Iraq better off with Saddam gone and an elected government now in your country?

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): Certainly, Iraq represents a unique example in the Middle East, because it is a real democratic system that has a constitution protecting the rights of all the people.

All minorities are living there in an equal way.

They have equal rights and duties.

We have sacrificed a lot for this system, and we are committed to maintain it, and at this time more than at any other time.

GEOFF BENNETT: Mr. Prime Minister, thank you so much for your time.

We appreciate it.

MOHAMMED SHIA' AL-SUDANI (through translator): Thank you.