What were the highlights, key points, priorities and notable excerpts and quotes in Ali Falih Al-Zaidi's speech at the UN General Assembly?

Al-Zaidi, 41, has been Iraq's prime minister since May and this was his first appearance at the General Assembly in that role. He is a banker and businessman by background, the youngest person ever to hold the office. Reporting on the speech comes from Asharq Al Awsat, Al Jazeera, Shafaqna English and The Pen PK.

Highlights

• State monopoly on weapons and war. The headline demand of the speech. Al-Zaidi said one of his government's top priorities was to ensure the state alone decides matters of war and peace, stressing weapons must remain in the hands of constitutional institutions. "The practical measures to bring weapons and decisions on war and peace under state control are moving in the right direction," he told the assembly, calling them essential to building state institutions, protecting sovereignty and securing stability.

• Iraq rising from conflict. He opened by saying Iraq will rise from years of conflict, during which "our people have paid a hefty price and lost the lives of their children, their resources, and their development opportunities."

• Economic ambition and regional bridge. He said Iraq aspires "to exercise its influence and have an impact as an effective economic power in the region, and as a bridge for dialogue and cooperation among the peoples of the region." The Development Road project, a planned infrastructure corridor linking Iraq's Grand Faw Port to Turkey and then into Europe, was cited as a "strategic corridor for trade, investment and energy."

• Coalition withdrawal and a new chapter. He said the end of the international coalition's mission in Iraq would mark a new phase in relations with strategic partners, shifting from military cooperation to economic and development cooperation. He vowed institutional reform while pointing to the withdrawal of US-led forces, meant to be completed by the end of September.

• Palestinian statehood. Al-Zaidi told the UN General Assembly there can be no stability in the Middle East without a just solution to the Palestinian issue, urging the international community to move beyond rhetoric and take decisive diplomatic action.

• Border security and counter-extremism. He called for tighter border controls, the closing of security gaps and continued vigilance against conditions that could fuel extremism.

• Diplomacy over conflict. He reiterated Iraq's support for dialogue, respect for sovereignty and non-interference, and urged countries to resolve conflicts through negotiations.

Priorities

• Complete the transfer of weapons to constitutional state control, with his proposed plan setting a deadline of June 30, 2027 for armed factions to hand over weapons after a 90-day ceasefire period.
• Move the relationship with the United States and other coalition partners from a military footing to an economic and development one.
• Build Iraq out as a regional trade hub through the Development Road corridor.
• Advance Palestinian statehood as the precondition for Middle East stability.
• Strengthen border security and prevent the return of extremist conditions.

In his own words

On Iraq's past and future: "Our people have paid a hefty price and lost the lives of their children, their resources, and their development opportunities." (Shafaqna English)

On regional ambition: "Iraq aspires to exercise its influence and have an impact as an effective economic power in the region, and as a bridge for dialogue and cooperation among the peoples of the region." (Shafaqna English)

On weapons and state sovereignty: "The practical measures to bring weapons and decisions on war and peace under state control are moving in the right direction." (Asharq Al Awsat)

On Iraq's place in the world: "Iraq has never been on the margins. It is at the heart of history and the pulse of the present, and it deserves a partnership for the future." (Asharq Al Awsat)

Worth knowing

The speech lands at a pointed moment. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had expressed support for Al-Zaidi's efforts to strengthen state authority and called for armed factions to be dismantled, warning that competing centers of power could fragment Iraq and weaken its institutions. Al-Zaidi had proposed a plan beginning with a 90-day period during which armed factions would cease attacks, with the transfer of weapons to the state to be completed by June 30, 2027. The armed factions in question are the Iran-backed militias that operate outside the formal Iraqi military, a power dynamic Iraq has been trying to rebalance for years. Al-Zaidi's language at the UN was notably firm on this, signaling to both Washington and Tehran that Baghdad intends to be the only authority on its own territory.

Watch Day and read the full speech

Watch Iraq's Prime Minister address the 81st UN General Assembly on Al Jazeera

Read Kiribati full coverage at Asharq Al Awsat