Iraqi parliament approved Ali al-Zaidi's government on Thursday, with the new prime minister vowing a state monopoly on weapons as Washington leans on Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed groups.

Ali al-Zaidi, a prominent businessman with limited political experience, has backing from both the US and Iran.

Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, whose government was approved on Thursday, vowed to ensure that the state would have a monopoly over weapons, the