Baghdad: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that the Iraqi government has taken over the “Diplomatic Support” site belonging to the US Embassy at Baghdad International Airport.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, In a statement, the Ministry said it hosted a signing ceremony on Thursday for the agreement transferring the US Embassy’s Diplomatic Support site at Baghdad International Airport to the Iraqi government. The agreement was signed by the Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations, Ambassador Mohammed Hussein Bahr Al-Uloom, representing the Government of Iraq, and the Charg© d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Iraq, Ambassador Steven Fagin, representing the Government of the United States.

The Ministry added: “This step comes within the framework of the Iraqi government’s efforts to complete procedures related to ending the mission of the International Coalition and the foreign military presence in Iraq, in accordance with the timeline set for September 30, 2026.”

According to the statement, Bahr Al-Uloom emphasized the importance of this step in strengthening Iraqi-US relations and transitioning them to a new phase of cooperation and partnership across various fields of mutual interest, particularly in the economic, development, and energy sectors.

For his part, Fagin expressed his government’s support for the Iraqi government’s efforts to develop relations between Baghdad and Washington, based on agreements and understandings reached between the two countries, in a manner that respects their sovereignty and opens new horizons for joint cooperation in the coming period.

Both sides affirmed that the signing of the agreement represents a step within the measures taken to regulate relations between the two countries and to establish appropriate frameworks for transitioning to a new phase of Iraqi-US relations-one based on expanding areas of convergence and joint cooperation in a manner that serves the mutual interests of both nations and their friendly peoples.