Today, the United States and Iraq both consider themselves as strategic partners, given the American political and military involvement after the invasion of Iraq and their mutual, deep-rooted relationship that followed.
Iraq and Pakistan have had close, friendly, and cooperative relations since the latter's independence in 1947. Issues such as Iraqi support for Pakistan in its 1971 war with India (Indo-Iraqi relations), and Pakistani support for Iraq against Iran in the Iran-Iraq War have forged relations between the two.
Iran and the United States have had no formal diplomatic relations since April 7, 1980. Instead, Pakistan serves as Iran's protecting power in the United States, while Switzerland serves as the United States' protecting power in Iran.
China–Iraq relations is the bilateral relationship between China and Iraq. Relations between both countries still remain very close and friendly. Iraq is a major destination for Chinese investment in the Middle East and China is the biggest buyer of Iraqi oil.
The coalition officially concluded its combat mission in Iraq in December 2021, but U.S. troops remain in Iraq to advise, train, and assist Iraqi security forces against the ongoing ISIL insurgency, including providing air support and military aid.
Along with Iraq's alleged development of weapons of mass destructions, another justification for invasion was the purported link between Saddam Hussein's government and terrorist organizations, in particular al-Qaeda. In that sense, the Bush administration cast the Iraq war as part of the broader War on Terrorism.
In the summer of 2014, the Islamic State launched a military offensive in northern Iraq and declared a worldwide Islamic caliphate, leading to Operation Inherent Resolve, another military response from the United States and its allies. According to a 2019 US Army study, Iran emerged as "the only victor" of the war.
The Ba'athist regime drew even closer to the Soviet Union, with relations hitting their peak from 1969 to 1973." After 1972, Iraq soon became one of the Soviet Union's closest allies in the Middle East. A fifteen-year Iraqi-Soviet "treaty of friendship and cooperation" was signed in April 1972.
Current Relationship
Egypt and Iraq reestablished trade ties in 2004, and relations have resumed positively. Though the First Gulf War ruptured diplomatic relations between Iraq and Egypt, but there have been improvements in recent years with many senior officials from both countries exchanging visits.
Of the 48 countries on the list, four contributed troops to the invasion force (the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland). An additional 37 countries provided some number of troops to support military operations after the invasion was complete.
Syria and Iran are strategic allies. Syria is often called Iran's "closest ally", the Arab nationalism ideology of Syria's ruling Baath party notwithstanding.
Aid from the United States since 9/11
Pakistan is a major non-NATO ally as part of the War on Terrorism, and a leading recipient of U.S. aid. Between 2002 and 2013, Pakistan received $26 billion in economic and military aid and sales of military equipment.
The United States has formal diplomatic relations with most nations. This includes all United Nations members and observer states other than Bhutan, Iran, North Korea and Syria, and the UN observer State of Palestine, the last of which the U.S. does not recognize.
The biggest rivalry in the Arab–Iranian conflict is between Saudi Arabia and Iran, who have been waging a heavy proxy war against each other since the late 1970s.
NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) is a non-combat advisory and capacity-building mission that assists Iraq in building more sustainable, transparent, inclusive and effective armed forces and security institutions, so that Iraqis themselves are better able to stabilise their country, fight terrorism and prevent the return of ISIS ...
Germany and Iraq enjoy amicable relations. Full diplomatic relations were re-established in 2004. A German Consulate General was opened in Erbil in 2009.
Following the war, Iraq was the only Arab country not to sign a ceasefire agreement with Israel, and the two countries have technically been in a continuous state of war since 1948. Despite not sharing a border with Israel, Iraq was an important player in the Arab–Israeli conflict.
Iraqi–Turkish relations are foreign relations between Iraq and Turkey. From late 2011 relations between the two countries have undergone strained turbulence. The two countries share historical and cultural heritages. Turkey has an embassy in Baghdad, and a consulate general in Mosul, Basra and Erbil.
What was worse for Saudi Arabia was the strengthening of the Shi'ites in Iraq, seen as Iran's proxy. This drew the Iranian threat much larger for the Kingdom. Iraq, as a result of being now ruled by Shi'ites, have chosen Iran over Saudi Arabia as their closer ally.
In April 2011, NATO agreed to grant Iraq partner status. Through a jointly agreed Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme (IPCP), NATO and Iraq undertook further efforts to develop the capacity of Iraq's security and defence institutions.
Iran has since become Iraq's largest trading partner. Iran and Iraq are very close allies supporting each other against the Islamic State. The relationship between the two countries is strong in part due to the fact that both governments are dominated by Shi'ite Muslim.
British contingents entered Iraq from the Persian Gulf and from the Ḥabbāniyyah air base in April and May 1941; armed conflict with Iraqi forces followed. The hostilities lasted only 30 days, during which period a few Iraqi leaders, including the regent and Nuri al-Said, fled the country.
Since 1945, the United States has very rarely achieved meaningful victory. The United States has fought five major wars — Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan — and only the Gulf War in 1991 can really be classified as a clear success.
As of July 19, 2021, according to the U.S. Department of Defense casualty website, there were 4,431 total deaths (including both killed in action and non-hostile) and 31,994 wounded in action (WIA) as a result of the Iraq War.