Questions about the extent to which Iraq impacts the Iranian political scene seem to be “futile” or “ridiculous.” It's easier to talk about Iran's interference in the political choices of Iraq, the formation of the government, resolving or stirring differences among parties, or the rejection or acceptance of a certain political line. Anyway, it is unlikely that Iraq will have any effect on the current division in Iran over power, external relations, the position on the authorities of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, or the new Iranian president.

This unilateral equation does not reflect the real balance of power between the two countries today.

A prominent Shiite leader, who had lived a long time in Iran before returning to Iraq, told Al-Monitor: “Iran’s preoccupation with the Syrian file gave the Iraqis a relatively larger margin of freedom to act internally away from the pressures of [Quds Force commander] Gen. Qassem Soleimani."

This does not seem to be a logical consequence after nearly two years of economic changes in the two countries. Iran, which is reeling under severe economic sanctions, is today in need of Iraq more than ever before. However, this need does not seem to translate into a decline in Iranian influence in Iraq. To the contrary, the past two years have witnessed more Iranian influence and attempts to involve Iraq in the Syrian file, the latest of which were the accusations against Iraq of transferring Iranian weapons to the Assad regime through its airspace.