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Trump Warns Abadi from Iranian Threat | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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US President Donald Trump holds a rally in Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Centre in Louisville, Kentucky. (AFP)


Washington, Baghdad- Iran’s threat to the stability of the region was a topic of discussion between US President Donald Trump and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in the White House late Monday.

In a statement issued following the meeting, the White House said Trump discussed with the Iraqi PM the “threat of Iran in the entire region.”

On Tuesday, Abadi and his delegation stayed in Washington where they met with congressional leaders.

The Iraqi delegation will attend on Wednesday a 68-nation meeting on new ways to combat ISIS.

During his trip to the US, Abadi carried a strict message about the possibility to crush ISIS. The prime minister also spoke about “warmer” relations with Saudi Arabia.

Iraqi researcher Hisham al-Hashimi quoted sources from the delegation accompanying the Iraqi prime minister as saying that US officials spoke with Abadi about Iran’s Wila’iyeen allies (those who believe in the Wilayat al-Faqih) from the Popular Mobilization Forces.

“They asked that those be removed from the official Mobilization Forces and that they hand over their heavy arms.”

The White House said Trump and Abadi praised the unprecedented military cooperation between the United States and Iraq in the fight against ISIS, including the campaign to liberate west Mosul.

Separately, US Senators Bob Corker and Ben Cardin, the chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, addressed a letter to Trump, urging continued US support to ensure the stability of Iraq.

Several other US Senators supported the letter.

“This requires a plan for decentralizing some functions of the government, disbanding Iranian-aligned militias, addressing the humanitarian needs of Iraq’s community, and committing to a program of reconciliation,” the letter said.