Iraqi politicians look to calm tensions in wake of US withdrawal from Iran deal
The US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal poses questions about the role of the Iran-backed Shiite armed factions in bringing the US-Iranian confrontation into Iraq.
Iraq's official stance on the US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal was critical of the United States. The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its regret over the withdrawal, which it described in a May 9 statement as a “hasty and uncalculated decision.” It said the decision “would escalate matters and only bring about destruction and ravages of war, which the region has already suffered from a great deal.”
Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said May 16 that the US withdrawal was a "form of foolishness” and that “all of the world's countries have lost trust in the US following this withdrawal.”
Will Iraq support Iran and be a part of the axis opposing the United States? And what role will the Shiite armed faction assume?
Wathiq Jabri, an adviser for the Iraqi Center for Media Development, told Al-Monitor that the Iraqi stance, which is “considerate of the Iranian policy,” is understandable, as the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal will have a negative political and economic impact on Iraq. While the United States has influence in Iraq, there are also Iraqi forces that have solid ties with Iran.
