Exclusive — End of U.S.-Iran War Focuses Iraqi Kurds on Middle East’s Challenges, Opportunities at Slemani Strategic Forum

The Slemani Strategic Forum on Thursday and Friday will see top Iraqi and other officials openly discussing the future of the region after American President Donald Trump declared this week that the U.S. war against Iran is “effectively over” and that any renewed offensive from the Americans is “quite unlikely.” Trump’s declaration of what essentially amounts to the end of the conflict comes after sweeping Democrat wins and Republican losses in the U.S. midterm elections last week that both Trump and Vice President JD Vance have attributed in large part to public dissatisfaction with the war’s effects on the American economy.