Iraq-France air defense, energy MoUs signed during Zaidi Paris visit
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday oversaw the signing of six memoranda of understanding (MoU) between the two countries across multiple sectors, including provisions for enhancing Iraq’s air defense through a letter of intent with a French AI company.
Of the six documents signed, two related to bolstering Iraq’s defense sector, including a letter of intent establishing cooperation between the defense ministry and France’s Harmattan AI firm, as well as a declaration of intent between both countries’ defense ministries regarding the acquisition of French military equipment “within the framework of rebuilding and developing Iraq’s defense capabilities,” according to Zaidi’s office.
Amid the US-Israeli war on Iran, Iraq endured myriad airstrikes from both sides of the conflict, with the US targeting pro-Iran militias based in the country while Iran relentlessly struck US military bases and Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in the Kurdistan Region.
Similarly, Saudi Arabia in July worked hand-in-hand with the US military to conduct airstrikes on Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) targets across the country following drone attacks on the country’s oil infrastructure for which Riyadh has fingered Iran-aligned Iraqi factions.
Faced with such a threat, Zaidi has directed that the timeframe for modernizing Iraq’s air defense capabilities be shortened from six years to three, with defense ministry spokesperson Yahya Rasool saying on September 7 that “the ministry is currently working on completing high-, medium-, and short-range missile and radar networks through continuous communication and technical meetings with reputable international companies.”
According to the company’s website, Harmattan AI provides very short-range air defense (VSHORAD) systems such as the Gobi interceptor apparatus, which “autonomously validates engagement parameters, calculates intercept feasibility, generates the engagement solution, and trasitions to launch within seconds” of detecting an incoming threat.
The firm also offers the Kalahari command and control network that allows for inputs from multiple air defense systems to be consolidated into a “unified operational picture,” thus providing commanders with a holistic view of the battlespace and any incoming threats.
In an interview with France’s Le Figaro, excerpts of which were published by Zaidi’s office, the prime minister said that “we will not allow Iraqi territory to be turned into a base for launching threats against neighboring countries, or into an arena for settling scores between regional and international powers.”
“Deepening our defense and security cooperation with our partners means continuing together the relentless fight against terrorism,” Macron wrote on X, for his part.
The other four MoUs signed in Paris related to development cooperation, youth employment opportunities, civil aviation cooperation, and a “cooperation protocol” between the Iraqi electricity ministry and France’s TotalEnergies.
The latter plays a vital role in Iraq’s natural gas sector, currently operating a project in the country’s south that entails recovering flared gas from three oil fields to provide power stations with gas to power the national electricity grid.
Zaidi’s Paris sojourn marks the first step in his inaugural visit to Europe since assuming the Iraqi premiership, with the prime minister set to travel onward to Germany.
The premier carried out his first overseas trip as prime minister in July, with a five-day visit to the US, where he met with President Donald Trump and signed several agreements with American companies.
The Iraqi premier visited both Iran and Turkey after his US visit, meeting with leaders from both countries, including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. The two trips also saw the signing of numerous MoUs.