Shared Roots Underpin Iran-Iraq Bonds

Iraq is going to great lengths to prevent an exacerbation of tensions between Iran and the United States because its mainstream political groups do not want the status of their fellow Shia-majority neighbor to be undermined on the world stage, says a political observer. 
"In recent days, as tensions between Iran and the United States have increased, Iraq is one of the countries that has entered the field and is making efforts to de-escalate the situation," Ali Mousavi Khalkhali, editor-in-chief of the Iranian Diplomacy website, wrote in a recent article.
He noted that Iraqi authorities and political leaders have on various occasions stressed the need to play a role in defusing the increasingly contentious confrontation, which is indicative of the importance of shared religious values and interests between the two neighbors.