The resistance of Iraqi leaders against the United States’ calls for breaking ties with Iran could provide some relief for the country from harsh American sanctions, a political expert says.
In a recent commentary on the Iranian Diplomacy news website, Jalal Khoshchehreh highlighted the refusal of Washington’s demands by the president, prime minister, Kurdish leaders, parliamentary factions and tribal sheikhs of Iraq, describing it as “a suitable opportunity”, if not a diplomatic victory for Iran, to secure a breathing space amid tightened policies of the US and its allies.
“Tehran’s smartness in expanding friendly relations with all Iraqi parties and adopting reforms in its ties with this country have produced immediate results,” he wrote, pointing to Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif’s recent trip to Iraq where he met with all key political and religious figures.
Significant Visit
President Hassan Rouhani’s upcoming visit to the Arab neighbor in March also indicates Tehran’s emphasis on preserving its close relations with Baghdad, the expert added.
Washington has taken hostile measures against Iran since US President Donald Trump assumed office in 2017. He pulled his country out of the 2015 nuclear deal last year and reimposed sanctions lifted under the agreement to pressure Tehran into making concessions over some areas of activity, including its regional role.
It has also been threatening other countries to cut their business with Iran. The drive includes Iraq, the country’s key trade partner, which has so far refused to comply with the sanctions, trying to avoid getting involved in the Tehran-Washington conflict.
The US has been pushing Iraq to eliminate its reliance on Iranian gas and electricity, but officials in Baghdad have mounted resistance, saying the American demand acknowledges neither Iraq’s energy needs nor the complex relations between Baghdad and Tehran.
Iraq’s recent agreement to settle debts owed to Iran, the decision to offer opportunities to Iranian investors and the fact that Iran remains the Arab country’s top trade partner despite the current circumstances bode well for enduring ties between the two neighbors, according to an expert
Trump also announced in early February a plan to keep a military presence in Iraq so that Washington can keep an eye on Iran. His remarks provoked a strong response from Iraqi officials, including President Barham Salih who complained that Trump had not asked Baghdad’s permission for his troops based in the Arab country to “watch Iran”.
"US troops in Iraq are there as part of an agreement between the two countries with a specific mission of combating terrorism,” he said.
Salih stressed that it is of fundamental interest for Iraq to have good relations with Iran.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also called on Trump to reverse his pledge, stressing that the approach is not helpful.
“I don’t think that such statements regarding the presence of US troops in Iraq are useful,” he said.
Clear-Cut Response
US plans to station troops in neighboring Iraq to watch Iran raised worries about the deterioration of Tehran-Baghdad relations, but Salih and Abdul Mahdi’s clear-cut response poured cold water on such schemes, Khoshchehreh wrote.
“High-level Iraqi officials have declared that they would not join in the efforts against Iran,” he added.
The leaders of Iraq's Kurdistan region have also been reluctant to cooperate with Washington and its regional allies, partly due to the lack of US support for the region’s independence referendum, according to the analyst.
"Although Iran also did not support the referendum, Kurds are smart enough not to sacrifice their immediate security and economic benefits from dealings with a close neighbor for the sake of those countries’ hostility toward Tehran," the expert noted in his article.
“While keeping the delicate and extremely fragile balance between relations with Iran, on the one hand, and [relations with] the US and its regional allies, on the other, Iraqi authorities have put in efforts to bear the risk of rejecting the demands of Iran’s enemies and maintaining friendly relations with Tehran.”
According to Khoshchehrehm, Iraq’s recent agreement to settle debts arising from gas and electricity purchases from Iran, the decision to offer opportunities to Iranian investors and the fact that Iran remains the Arab country’s top trade partner despite the current circumstances bode well for enduring ties between the two neighbors.
