Washington Is Starting to Treat Syria and Iraq as One Policy
The article analyzes a shift in U.S. policy under President Trump, treating Syria and Iraq as a unified strategic theater. Key developments include Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi's week-long visit to Washington and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa's meeting with Trump at the NATO summit in Turkey. The U.S. has appointed one envoy (Tom Barrack) for Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. Amid rising tensions with Iran, including attacks on oil tankers and U.S. strikes on Iranian infrastructure, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has spurred efforts to revive pipelines and the Tanf border crossing for oil transit. Sanctions on Syria are being lifted to allow American energy companies like Chevron to invest. U.S. forces are expected to leave Iraq by September 2026, with militia disarmament as a key test for the new partnership. The article frames this as an outgrowth of the successful war against ISIS.
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