Rubio Welcomes Iraqi Foreign Minister for High-Level Talks

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein for high-level talks at the State Department on Friday, a clear sign the Trump administration is forging strategic dialogues in the face of shifting dynamics in the Middle East.

After the meeting, Hussein, who also holds the title of deputy prime minister, told reporters the meeting with the secretary of State was “good and positive.”

Asked what the two talked about, he responded, “Everything.”

The meeting comes at a time when the administration is stepping up its engagement with key allies in the region on a number of issues.

Though the nature of Friday’s discussion between Rubio and Hussein was not disclosed — a brief appearance before photographers in the Treaty Room lasted just 38 seconds — the foreign minister did offer something of a preview in a social media post on Thursday.

Writing on X, Hussein said the intent of the meeting was to “strengthen Iraqi-American relations” by “enhancing mutual security and cooperation in various fields.”

One topic that was surely discussed was the United States’ ongoing negotiations with Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program. Those talks are set to resume Saturday in Oman.

Also surely high on the morning’s agenda were regional security threats stemming from ISIS and other militias, the continued instability and uncertainty in Syria, and Iraq’s complicated energy sector.

Though the country has vast oil and natural gas reserves, it flares much of that gas off due to the lack of an efficient infrastructure to support  the sector.

Iraq has also been taking steps to boost its own energy security while reducing U.S. involvement in its internal affairs.

Among these steps are a strong embrace of solar power, boosting its production of oil and gas for domestic use, and upgrading its internal power distribution system.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said Friday that Rubio and Hussein discussed the importance of Iraqi sovereignty for regional security and stability, and that the secretary praised Iraq’s efforts to promote regional de-escalation and constructive dialogue.

The two also discussed opportunities to expand economic cooperation and increase trade and investment between the Unites States and Iraq.

Rubio also commended Iraq for hosting the first-ever U.S. Department of Commerce-designated trade mission in Baghdad earlier this month, an effort that he said resulted in billions of dollars in agreements with U.S. companies.

Another issue very much of interest to the U.S. is how quickly Kurdish oil exports will resume through a pipeline that connects Iraq to Europe via a pipeline through Turkey.

The flow of oil and gas from Iraqi Kurdistan has been at a standstill for nearly two years, and talks to resume them have been excruciatingly slow due to ongoing disputes over payments and contracts.

The Trump administration has been pressuring Iraq to allow Kurdish oil exports to resume in an effort to offset a decline in Iranian oil exports as the White House ratchets up its campaign to isolate Iran and drive its oil export revenues to zero in order to slow its development of a nuclear weapon.

Hussein, of course, is no novice when it comes to navigating the myriad of interests that are always in play in the Middle East.

Born in 1946 in the Kurdish city of Khanaqin, Hussein attended elementary and high school there before moving to the Iraqi capital and graduating from Baghdad University with a degree in English literature in 1971.

While in Baghdad he got involved in the Kurdish resistance movement opposing ethnic oppression by then-Iraqi President Abdul Karim Qassim.

After the Kurdish defeat in the Second Iraqi-Kurdish War in 1975, Hussein moved to the Netherlands, where he earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in international relations from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Over the next two decades, Hussein honed his skills as an independent politician and made frequent high-profile appearances at conferences held by Iraqis opposed to the rule of Saddam Hussein.

After the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Faud Hussein (no relation to the infamous leader) became a senior advisor to Iraq’s Ministry of Education.

With the formation of the Kurdistan Region Presidency, Hussein was appointed President Masoud Barzani’s chief of staff. 

In 2018, the veteran statesman was named Iraq’s finance minister, a position he held until rising to his current posts.

Dan can be reached at [email protected] and @DanMcCue