WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump touted his “tremendous chemistry” with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi during a bilateral meeting Tuesday overshadowed by the reignited war with Iran. "He's a great leader. I think he's going to be there for a long period of time," Trump said alongside Zaidi in the Oval Office. The two met a day after Trump pledged to reinstate a naval blockade on Iranian ports and charge vessels for passage through the Strait of Hormuz. The United States carried out strikes against Iran early Tuesday, prompting retaliatory attacks on US allies in the Middle East. Iraq's oil export-driven economy has been hit hard by the Hormuz closure. Zaidi, an Iraqi businessman and political newcomer, made Washington his first foreign visit since his swearing-in two months ago. It comes days after the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala held funeral proceedings for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the war’s opening day. Tehran and Washington have vied for influence in Iraq since the US-led invasion toppled longtime Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.Trump was expected to use Tuesday's meeting with Zaidi to push for the disarmament of the Iran-backed militias within the Popular Mobilization Forces. The PMF is an umbrella group of Shiite militias that was formed to fight the Islamic State and formally incorporated into Iraq’s security forces in 2016. Some have direct ties to Iran. Since the war began on Feb. 28, Iran-backed militias in Iraq have launched hundreds of attacks on US military and diplomatic sites, including the US Embassy in Baghdad. One of the more powerful militias, Kataib Hezbollah, kidnapped American journalist Shelly Kittelson in Baghdad in late March before releasing her a week later. The Iraqi government under Zaidi has set a deadline of Sept. 30 for the country’s Iran-aligned groups to hand their weapons over to the state, a date that coincides with the end of the American-led military coalition’s mission in Iraq. The Iran-allied Coordination Framework initially tapped Shiite politician Nouri al-Maliki, who served as Iraq's prime minister from 2006 to 2014, to replace outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The coalition didn’t advance his nomination after Trump threatened to cut US aid in January, concerned a pro-Iran government would take root should Maliki stage a political comeback. After months of political gridlock, Zaidi emerged as a compromise candidate acceptable to both Washington and Tehran. Zaidi was previously chairman of the board at Al Janoob Islamic Bank, one of several financial institutions that Iraq’s central bank barred in 2024 from making US dollar transactions as part of an effort to crack down on money laundering and illicit use of American currency.The new Iraqi premier has signaled a tough stance on corruption. In late June, he oversaw the arrest of 47 people accused of corruption, including several prominent figures in Iraq’s Oil Ministry. In a Washington Post op-ed ahead of his visit, Zaidi said he wanted to move Iraq's relationship with the United States “beyond crisis management to opportunity creation.” From Washington, Zaidi will travel to Houston, Texas, to meet with energy executives.