Iraq denies reports on Trump requesting oil in return for Baghdad war

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A senior leader of the Iraqi Victory Alliance denied on Tuesday media reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had asked former prime minister Haider al-Abadi to get oil from Iraq to reimburse Washington for the costs of the war in the Arab nation.

Speaking to Baghdad Today news agency, Ali al-Snaid described such reports as baseless, stressing that Trump had not requested any oil from Iraq in return for toppling the regime of former president Saddam Hussein in 2003.

“Iraq is a sovereign state and it is not allowed for any country to impose its will on our decision,” he added.

American news website Axios reported on Monday that Trump had discussed with Abadi in March last year the subject of taking oil from Iraq to reimburse the United States for the costs of the war there.

“It was a very run-of-the-mill, low-key, meeting in general,” a source who was in the room described the talks between Trump and Abadi that were held at the White House in March.

According to the source, Trump complained that the U.S. had spent trillions in Iraq and lost thousands of lives but got “nothing” in return. He repeatedly said the U.S. should have seized Iraq’s oilfields as reimbursement for the steep costs of the war.