Ali Akbar Velayati, the adviser of the Iranian Supreme Leader for international issues, underestimated Ali al-Zaidi, the Iraqi premier, on 17 July 2026. Just before 24 hours of al-Zaidi ending his visit to the US.

That wasn't enough for Velayati; he added a history lesson by using Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi ex-premier, as the Iranian righteous example, about the kind of rulers that Tehran wants in Baghdad DC.

Al-Maliki stated on 18 July 2026 on the podium of his party, to Ultra Iraq, a Qatari media platform, that the visit of Ali al-Zaidi to Washington doesn't mean there's a "honeymoon between Iraq and the United States of America"

This announcement for the State of Law Coalition was a letter, formed with many layers. The prominent one is its confirmation of "China" as a real cause for the US celebration of "Donald Trump of the ME", as Victoria Taylor, an ex-American diplomat, coined the perspective of US elites about the present Iraqi premier.

To understand what the American visit muscles in al-Zaidi's arms can do, we must talk about the statement of the "Sheikh of Coordination Framework" as al-Maliki described by one of his relatives on 25 April 2026.

He used Bilal al-Maliki as a postman to deliver a message to the Iraqi former premier Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, that "let both of us choose a settlement candidate". just before two days before al-Zaidi's designation as a settlement candidate.

The economic nature of the Chinese layer in al-Maliki's letter was his hint that he will be a Chinese economic backbone in Iraq. At least, he will encourage more Chinese investments in the Iraqi southern governorates.

Hussein Mardan

This ex-member of the Iraqi parliament from al-Maliki coalition, and whose still a member of it, stated in a televised interview on 19 July 2026 that the US investments in the country will not succeed, because "one mortar shell" can execute any potential for that success.

He advised the recent premier to find a balance formula between the "parties of Coordination Framework, Iranian-backed Factions, and the State Administration Coalition".

The last political body he mentioned referred to the Sunni and Kurdish parties, which worked like political local wheels for CF, and as a flavor - especially the Sunnis - of legitimacy in the region and the world. This formula must be sold to US through the "efforts of Ali al-Zaidi," as Mardan said.

Nouri al-Maliki and his party trying to know if al-Zaidi will play a role as a broker between the old guards in CF and the Shiite rising political powers, such as Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, Qais al-Khazali, and Ammar al-Hakim, or he's chose the rising team.

Al-Maliki, on 7 July 2026, picked Al-Forat TV, which is owned by Ammar al-Hakim, to announce that he will "never leave the political work until his death".

Ultra Iraq

Nouri al-Maliki has a history of good relations with the Qatari state. This was obvious from the documentary film which was produced by al-Jazeera TV about his life.

After the ex-Premier Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani showed through his political actions that he wants to be the next al-Maliki, but surely he's younger, more resilient, more acceptable inside Iraq, the region, and between world powers, which made relations cloudy.

Al-Maliki and his party attacked Khamis al-Khanjar, Qatar's man in Iraq, on many occasions. and Qatar directly in other ones.

The Qatari firm UCC, which will be a shareholder, with two other US companies, to build a network of oil pipelines, stretching from the south of Iraq to Ceyhan port in Turkey, and to Syrian Baniyas port, changed the situation.

Qatari investments in Iraq need guarantees; if I use Hussein Mardan's words about the effect of mortar shells on the success of any foreign investments in Iraq, I will say, "it needs a friendly mortar shell."

Al-Maliki and his allies from Iranian proxies can be the friendly ammo, but in the same time al-Maliki's team needs Qatar urgently.

The economic and investment relations between Iraq and the US will be guaranteed through the Iraqi-US fund for development, which will be funded from Iraqi oil. That means Qatar will be an important participant in the US investments inside the country, for a long time.

Qatar is like a button of influence for al-Maliki team. By using it, they can regulate the presence of Arabs states, especially the other Arabian Gulf ones.

Communist Syndrome

In my YouTube episode which I published in 18 July 2026, I analyzed that the gesture to China in the statement of State of Law Coalition, was designed to use what I coined here as "Communist Syndrome" in west mentality, to threat US that we will be resurrected the communist ideology, if you insisting on us to go away from the position of power in the Iraqi regime.

On 19 July 2026, Raid Fahmi, the General Secretary of the Iraqi Communist Party- the Central Committee, attacked the Iraqi-US economic and investment agreements.

This party has a strategic relationship with the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which is now allied with Nouri al-Maliki to curb the rise of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition, National Wisdom Movement, Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, Taqadum party, and the Kurdistan Union Party, in the Iraqi political future.

These parties knew that their political existence cannot be preserved by the US bread only; they also need Iranian wine.

Hussein al-Shihani, a member in Sadiqoun Movement, which is a political cover for Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, stated on 19 July 2026 that there's a thought to form a "delegation" from some parties I mentioned above, and the Turkmen Front party to visit Iran.

Al-Zaidi Equation

Ali Al-Zaidi needs time and US day-by-day assistance to achieve what he can do in many urgent cases, as an anti-corruption campaign which he unleashed it in 28 June 2026, the political transition from Kleptocracy mode to better governance; at least in law enforcement, and the distribution of wealth in more balanced ways.

The essence of political transition in Iraq mustn't replace the warlords, sectarian and ethnic leaders, with Comprador elites.

The recent premier needs to establish concrete regulations for foreign economic and investment activities in Iraq, through transparent legislation.

If Iraq and the US surrender to their old habits, like internal settlements, postponing the process of resolving the problems, and concentrating on Iraq for the short term to extract concessions from Iran, the country will be a laboratory mouse, showing the effects of corruption and sub-identities on states.

It's time to confess that Iraq must leave the era of "small rulers" after 2003, as the British officer Stephen Hemsley Longrigg wrote about this curse in Iraqi political history in his book "Four Centuries of Modern Iraq".

Iran and its proxies are plundering not only Iraqi wealth but its future too, and without transparency and law enforcement, all states concerned in Iraq will be another version of Iran, and al-Zaidi is just a bridge for a new Iraqi comprador elite, which is standing in line to eat its share in the Iraqi cake.

Short Bio: writer, political analyst, and Ex-executive editor-in-chief of Iraq Alyoum newspaper.