Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi said, on Saturday, his new government will focus on security, stability and protecting Iraq’s sovereignty, while strengthening regional and international ties.
In remarks following the official handover of office from former Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al Sudani, Al Zaidi said the coming phase would mark a period of genuine national partnership that transcends differences.
He pledged to work sincerely in confronting challenges and launching a comprehensive economic and financial reform programme aimed at building a strong, diversified and sustainable national economy that does not rely on a single resource.
He added that the government would work firmly to protect public funds and combat administrative and financial corruption in all its forms, stressing that it would be a government of institutions, law and justice that remains open to all.
Al Zaidi and his government took the constitutional oath on Thursday after securing parliament’s vote of confidence by an absolute majority.
Initial talks between the US and Iran are planned at the Buergenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland on Friday, following the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Tehran and Washington, the Swiss government said on Thursday.
Ukrainian drones hit Moscow's oil refinery for the second time this week while Russia fired missiles into Kyiv, as President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sought support from the U.S. and Europe to reach a peace deal.
Explosions and sustained gunfire were heard early on Thursday morning at the airport and military airbase in Niger's capital Niamey, witnesses said, in what a security source described as an apparent attack on the facility.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday defended his interim agreement with Iran, saying it had averted a global economic catastrophe, while warning he could launch fresh attacks if Tehran failed to honour its commitments.