Iraq

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump’s assertion that he intends to keep US troops in Iraq to spy on Iran has produced a firestorm of protest and controversy in Baghdad. Trump also committed the faux pas of saying the US had constructed an enormous military base in Iraq, which contradicts the Iraqi government’s line that […]

Iraq

Party of Shiite Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr tables Bill to expel US Troops from Iraq

Middle East Monitor

Muqtada al-Sadr’s Sairoon Bloc, which dominated Iraqi legislative polls last year, has submitted a bill to parliament that would, if passed, require all foreign military personnel to leave the country within one year, Anadolu Agency reports. At a Friday press conference in Baghdad, Sairoon Chairman Sabah Assadi said the proposed “Law against Foreign Military Deployments […]

Iran

Iran steals Trump’s Thunder: ‘We defeated ISIL & We’ll Rebuild Iraq’

AFP

Karbala (AFP) – Iranian firms should have a key role in rebuilding Iraq after the fight against the Islamic State group, Tehran’s top diplomat said Wednesday in a rare meeting with Iraqi paramilitary units. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke in Iraq’s holy city of Karbala to commanders of the Hashed al-Shaabi, which is dominated […]

Iran

Iraq welcomes Iran Foreign Minister after Pompeo, denounces US Sanctions as “Illegal”

AFP

Baghdad, Iraq | AFP | – Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali al-Hakim (R) receives his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in Baghdad on January 13, 2019 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad on Sunday for wide-ranging talks, including on US sanctions against Tehran. The visit came just days […]

Iraq

Israeli general sees possible threat from Iraq as Iran’s clout grows

Middle East Monitor

Iran could use its growing clout in Iraq to turn it into a springboard for attacks against Israel, the chief of Israeli military intelligence said on Monday, reports Reuters. Israel sees the spread of Tehran’s influence in the region as a growing threat and has carried out scores of air strikes in civil war-torn Syria […]

Featured

Shiite Parties Decry Trump’s ‘Arrogant’ and ‘Disdainful’ Visit to Iraq, Ignoring Iraqis

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Trump’s surprise visit to a US military base in Iraq on the day after Christmas has provoked a strong critique among some Iraqis, who mind that Trump slipped in and out to visit the Ain al-Assad base in al-Anbar Province but did not bother to meet with any Iraqi officials. […]

Displaced and Refugees

Trump Deporting undocumented Iraqis at risk of Arrest, Torture in Iraq

Human Rights Watch

(Beirut) – The United States government has deported at least 30 of a planned 1,400 people originally from Iraq back to their country, in some cases threatening long imprisonment if they don’t consent, Human Rights Watch said today. In all cases that Human Rights Watch is aware of, the deportees lack valid identity documents, putting […]

Iran

Defying Trump Sanctions, Iraqi President will Double Iran Trade to $22 bn/ Yr

TeleSur

According to officials, last week Iraq came to an agreement with Iran to exchange Iraqi food items for Iranian gas and energy supplies. Iraq’s President Barham Salih, on Saturday, started an official visit to neighboring Iran which aims to foster positive political and economic relations between the two countries. Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani welcomed Salih […]

Iraq

Iraqi Parliamentarians Demand Timetable for US Troop Withdrawal

Middle East Monitor

Iraqi MP Ahmad Al-Assadi, senior leader of the Iraqi Construction Alliance, revealed on Friday parliamentarian moves to pressure the Iraqi government to evict US forces from the country. Al-Assadi said that the previous Iraqi parliament had started the calls, but now the new parliament was calling for a clear timetable for the US withdrawal from […]