President Trump greets the Prime Minister of Iraq, Ali al-Zaidi (screenshot via Margo Martin on X)
President Trump is set to hold bilateral talks with the Prime Minister of Iraq, Ali al-Zaidi, today amid escalations with Iran.
This comes after the US executed its third consecutive night of attacks on Iranian military targets on Monday in response to Iran’s hostilities targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz last week.
President Trump declared that the ceasefire with Iran is “over” before launching multiple strikes, including a 5-hour-long mission on Monday.
Before this, the US resumed strikes after Iran targeted another commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday. US strikes continued with another round on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the US Navy has also resumed its blockade, closing Iranian ports.
The President told Fox News earlier, “We’re taking over the Strait. They have nothing. They’ve got nothing. They’re professional negotiators. That’s all they are. I don’t even call them good at it. They haven’t gotten anything. They’ve got nothing from me.”
“But if you look for 47 years, they’ve been tapping people along, Presidents. Every president got tapped along, didn’t do anything, and they became more and more powerful,” the President added.
Trump further suggested in a statement earlier that America will charge a 20% toll “on all cargo shipped, for any and all costs necessary to do the job of providing safety and security to this very volatile section of the World.”
MORE:
JUST IN: Trump Announces Speech to the Nation on Thursday Evening as Iran War Intensifies and US Navy Blockade Resumes – Says “We’re Taking Over the Strait” (VIDEO)
Per ABC, “al-Zaidi’s office said in a statement that the aim of the visit is to ‘strengthen economic and development partnerships, attract investment, and expand the role of U.S. companies in implementing infrastructure projects’ and to further develop the oil-rich country’s energy sector.”
The meeting is scheduled to begin at 11:15 am ET.
Watch live below:
The post WATCH LIVE: Trump Meets with Iraqi Prime Minister Amid Escalations in Iran War appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.