ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Representatives of both the US and Iran on Thursday welcomed the vote of confidence granted by the Iraqi parliament to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, with both external actors having a strong interest in a Baghdad administration whose alignment is often contested by the two foes.

Zaidi earlier in the day had his program for government approved by a majority of the 270 lawmakers who attended the parliament sitting, with 14 of 23 ministerial posts having been successfully appointed.

Speaking in remarks carried by Iraq’s state news agency, Zaidi said reform efforts would begin “from within by confronting corruption and administrative bloat,” while pledging to improve governance and rebuild confidence in state institutions.

He also doubled down on a commitment to restrict weapons to the hands of the state and urged diplomatic missions to return to Iraq after many left during the US-Israeli war on Iran and its spillover.

"Congratulations to Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi on securing parliamentary confidence and the approval of his government by the Council of Representatives," US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack wrote on X.

"We are encouraged by your fresh leadership and look forward to collaborating on a bold new agenda aligned with our shared interests: building a sovereign, prosperous, stable Iraq, at peace with its neighbors, that delivers opportunity and growth for all its citizens in mutually beneficial partnership with the United States," he continued.

"President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and the United States stand ready to work closely with you and your government to advance our shared goals of prosperity for the Iraqi people and the elimination of terrorism, which is always an impediment to the people’s progress."

US President Donald Trump himself personally endorsed the businessman-turned-politician, easing his path to power in the wake of a staunch rejection of the candidacy of State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki, previously the frontrunner for the premiership, late last year.

The former prime minister had garnerned a poor reputation in Washington due to his perceived closeness to Iran, with the US having incessantly sought to limit the role of pro-Iran militias and political factions in Baghdad, efforts that have intensified after such factions targeted US interests in Iraq during the recent regional war.

However, Iran also welcomed Zaidi's appointment, with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi extending his congratulations to both Zaidi and Fuad Hussein, who was reappointed as Iraq's foreign minister.

"Expanding the friendly and fraternal relations between Tehran and Baghdad is always at the top of the priorities of our foreign policy," he wrote on X.

The tenuous balance between US and Iranian interests has long been a hallmark of Iraqi politics, with Zaidi, perceived as a compromise candidate in the Iraqi political sphere, having both expressed openness to American investment and urged the restriction of non-state actors, policies supported by Washington, while also rejecting the use of Iraq as a launching pad for foreign military powers, something that is in Tehran's national interest.