BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's dominant parliamentary bloc on Monday nominated Ali al-Zaidi, a businessman and political newcomer, to be the country's prime minister.
The announcement by the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties allied with Iran, followed a meeting at the government palace. It came after weeks of internal debate among its member parties aimed at selecting a compromise candidate to lead the next government.
President Nizar Amidi then tasked al-Zaidi with forming a government. Even with the backing of the dominant bloc, the new government is not assured of receiving the required number of votes.
The coalition had previously said it would back former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who the U.S. administration views as too close to Iran. U.S. President Donald Trump publicly announced his opposition to al-Maliki and threatened to cut off aid to Iraq if he was appointed.
While al-Maliki remained defiant after Trump's intervention, the bloc decided to shift to a compromise candidate.
In a statement announcing al-Zaidi's nomination, the Coordination Framework thanked al-Maliki and incumbent Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for their “historic and responsible positions” in withdrawing their candidacies to help overcome the political deadlock. Al-Sudani issued a statement congratulating al-Zaidi.
Al-Zaidi, who is chairman of Al-Janoob Islamic Bank, emerged in the final stages of discussions as one of the leading candidates, bolstered by his economic background and business and investment connections. He has not previously held political office.
Following his nomination, al-Zaidi promised to focus on making Iraq “a balanced country, regionally and internationally.”
“This appointment comes at a sensitive time that requires concerted efforts from all political and social forces,” he said.
Under the constitution, the designated prime minister has 30 days to present a Cabinet lineup to the parliament, which requires 167 votes to secure a vote of confidence.
The next government will have to deal with the political and economic fallout of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, which spilled over into Iraq while the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted the oil exports on which Iraq's economy depends.
The new government will also face challenges in dealing with the issues of corruption, uncontrolled weapons outside state authority, and the future of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Shiite militias that are nominally under the Iraqi military but in practice largely outside of its control.
Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi attends the meeting of the Coordination Framework political bloc in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, April 27, 2026. (Iraqi Presidency Office via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department can require journalists to be escorted on Pentagon grounds while the Trump administration appeals a judge's decision to block its enforcement of a press access policy challenged by The New York Times, an appeals court ruled Monday.
The ruling by a divided three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit isn't the final decision in the newspaper's lawsuit over a new Pentagon press credential policy. But the panel's majority opinion said the administration is likely to succeed in showing that the policy's escort requirement is legally valid.
The panel granted the government's request to suspend an April 9 decision by U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman, who ruled that the Defense Department was violating his earlier order to restore access to the Pentagon for reporters.
Circuit Judges Justin Walker, J. Michelle Childs and Bradley Garcia heard the case, with Childs dissenting from the 2-1 majority.
“Reporters can hardly verify sources, gather information, or speak candidly with Department personnel with an escort looming over their shoulders,” Childs wrote.
Friedman found that the Pentagon’s new credential policy violated journalists’ constitutional rights to free speech and due process. He said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team had tried to evade his March 20 ruling by putting in new rules that expel all reporters from the building unless guided by escorts.
Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell said it welcomes the panel's decision and looks forward to arguing the merits of its “full case” before the same panel. In a statement posted on social media, Parnell said unescorted access to the Pentagon has led to the “regular unauthorized disclosure of sensitive and classified national defense information.”
“Since implementing the current access policy, the Department has seen a meaningful reduction in these unauthorized disclosures, which when they occur can endanger the lives of service members, intelligence personnel, and our allies,” he wrote.
Theodore Boutrous, an attorney for The Times, said the panel's ruling is “a narrow, preliminary one" and “casts no doubt” on the strength of the newspaper's constitutional arguments.
"We look forward to defending the full scope of the district court’s rulings in The Times’s favor in this appeal,” Boutrous said in a statement.
President Donald Trump, a Republican, nominated Walker. President Joe Biden, a Democrat, nominated Garcia and Childs. Friedman was nominated by Democratic President Bill Clinton.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is joined by Adm. Brad Cooper, left, as he speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon, Thursday, April 16, 2026 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)
