US-Iran Conflict Escalates With New Strikes Near Hormuz 
US-Iran Exchange Strikes as Hormuz Tensions Escalate 
Ukraine Sanctions Chief Heads to Washington to Push Russia Bill 
Trump Administration Threatens Smithsonian Support Over Leadership Dispute 
South Korea Unveils Record $597 Billion 2027 Budget to Boost AI and Chips 
Texas Republicans Turn Against AI Data Centers as Election Backlash Grows 
USS Abraham Lincoln Arrives in Thailand After Record 200 Days at Sea 
Iran Strikes U.S. Bases in Kuwait as Hormuz Tensions Rise 
Two Palestinian Teenagers Killed in West Bank Violence 
US Strikes Iran as Tehran Retaliates, Oil Prices Surge 
China Warns Over Taiwan’s Pacific Islands Forum Presence 
US Approves $800 Million Helicopter Sale to Iraq 
Trump Says ExxonMobil Among Oil Majors Planning Venezuela Return 
U.S., New Zealand Fund $60M Cook Islands Port Upgrade 
Bessent Urges Japan on Fiscal Discipline, BOJ Rate Hikes 
Maduro Seeks Dismissal of US Drug Trafficking Charges 
Add as a preferred source on Google
Iraq has been caught in the crossfire in the conflict between the United States and Iran, the tensions having escalated over recent months. The White House announced that US President Joe Biden would be meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi this month.
The White House announced Friday that Biden would be hosting Kadhemi at the White House on July 26 in an effort to reaffirm the strategic partnership between both countries. Ahead of the announcement, Kadhemi spoke with US envoy Brett McGurk regarding the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. To note, around 3,500 international troops are stationed in Baghdad, 2,500 of which are from the US.
The troops are stationed in the region in order to deter the Islamic State extremist group since 2014. When the two leaders meet, Kadhemi is expected to push for a concrete timetable on US troop withdrawal. However, the withdrawal may take years to fully implement.
This follows the increasing drone and rocket attacks on American targets in Iraq over the recent months. The meeting between the Iraqi PM and McGurk came a little after 14 rockets were launched at the Ain al-Assad airbase, which hosts American troops in western Iraq, along with three other rockets that were fired near the US embassy in Baghdad.
The attacks have been pinned as being caused by pro-Iranian militia groups. The US also launched airstrikes on Iran-backed militia facilities along the Iraq-Syria border.
Biden will also be meeting with another world leader as he is set to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II this week at the White House. King Abdullah II would also become the first Arab leader to meet with the new US president. Relations between King Abdullah and Biden would likely be warmer this time after experiencing a strain with Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump.
The king hopes to have a better relationship with Biden, whom he met when he was still vice president to Barack Obama. “Jordan will be looking at a friend in Joe Biden,” said political analyst Osama al-Sharif, speaking with Al Jazeera. “The president will publicly recognize the Hashemites’ special role in East Jerusalem and reinstate Jordan’s role as a key interlocutor in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
