Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi signed nine cooperation agreements with Jordan during a visit to Amman on October 26, 2026, as Baghdad pushes to widen its alliances beyond the Iranian orbit and rebuild the commercial corridors of the Levant.
It was Zaidi's first official trip to Jordan since taking office. He met King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, and the two governments signed memoranda covering higher education, environmental protection, consumer protection, diplomatic cooperation, cultural exchanges, and support for small and medium-sized enterprises, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Baghdad looks west, not east
Zaidi is a banker turned prime minister, and the trip had a clear economic logic behind it. He pressed for a duty-free economic zone between the two countries, a project that would bind Anbar province to the Hashemite Kingdom's economy. The nine documents signed in Amman did not, however, include a binding agreement to create that zone.
Two energy files stand out. Jordan imported roughly 2.76 million barrels of Iraqi oil in 2025, according to its Energy Ministry, but deliveries under the bilateral agreement have been suspended since late December 2025. The larger prize is the proposed Basra-Aqaba pipeline, which would give Iraq a Red Sea export route and free it, at least in part, from shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint that Iran has repeatedly threatened.
That detail matters in Jerusalem. Anything that reduces Tehran's ability to strangle Gulf oil traffic serves Israel's security interests, and Iraq's search for alternatives to Iranian-linked corridors is quietly a strategic gain for the entire region.
Hashemite history shapes the present
Iraq and Jordan share more than a 180km border. Both were ruled by branches of the Hashemite dynasty in the twentieth century, until Iraq's monarchy fell in 1958. The vision now circulating in Baghdad, The Jerusalem Post analysis notes, would essentially reunite the three Arab kingdoms that almost came into being in the 1920s, before France pushed the Hashemites out of Syria and into Iraq and Jordan.
Zaidi visited Saudi Arabia on October 14 and is expected in Cairo on November 23, according to Egyptian officials cited by Rudaw. A postponed trip to Damascus is also on the agenda. The architecture is unmistakable: Baghdad is building an Arab axis that runs westward, from the Gulf through Amman to Cairo.
Security concerns drive the rapprochement
The timing is not accidental. Jordan is still mourning the October 23 attack on a church in Karak, in which nine people were murdered and 40 wounded. Jordanian security forces arrested three suspects. Instability flowing from Syria and Iraq haunts both capitals, and smuggling networks along Jordan's northern border remain a live threat.
Iraq faces its own reckoning with armed factions operating inside its territory, as FDD's Long War Journal reported, including Iranian-backed militias that Baghdad has struggled to bring under state control. The border security file is inseparable from the diplomatic one.
Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan struck a practical tone.
We want to move joint economic projects between the two countries to the stage of actual ground implementation, following practical steps and clear timelines.
Zaidi, for his part, called Jordan a strategic partner and said he looked forward to deeper coordination to deal with all challenges, according to TRT Global's coverage of the Amman talks.
What it means for Israel
Jerusalem has its own quiet stake in this realignment. A Jordan that trades more with Iraq and less with hostile actors is a more stable eastern neighbor. A trilateral mechanism that now includes Egypt, and could soon include a functional Syria, points toward a bloc of pragmatic Arab states that share Israel's interest in containing Iranian influence.
The precedent is ancient. When Solomon ruled from Jerusalem, the land's prosperity rested on trade routes that ran through exactly this geography, from the Euphrates to the sea. The prophets spoke of highways rebuilt and desert crossings reopened. Regional commerce and regional security have always been the same project in this part of the world.
The question now is execution. The nine memoranda signed in Amman are statements of intent, not yet facts on the ground. Iraq must still control its borders, contain the militias, and resist Tehran's habit of punishing Baghdad for every independent step. Whether the free trade zone, the electricity interconnections, and the Basra-Aqaba pipeline move from paper to steel will decide if this is a realignment or a photo opportunity.
Frequently asked questions
What did Iraq and Jordan sign in Amman?
On October 26, 2026, the two countries signed nine memoranda of understanding covering education, environmental protection, consumer protection, diplomacy, culture, and small business support, during Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's first official visit to Jordan.
Why is the Basra-Aqaba pipeline important?
The proposed pipeline would link Iraq's southern oilfields to Jordan's Red Sea port, giving Iraq an export route that avoids the Strait of Hormuz and reduces its exposure to Iranian pressure on Gulf shipping.
How does this affect Israel?
A stronger Iraqi-Jordanian-Egyptian axis weakens Iran's regional leverage and stabilizes Israel's eastern neighbor, aligning with Jerusalem's interest in a pragmatic Arab bloc that resists Tehran.