The most recent name to surface as a likely candidate for Iraq's premiership is Adel Abdul Mahdi, a former head of the Ministry of Oil and Ministry of Finance and a one-time vice president of the country. Following negotiations said to have involved Hezbollah, Mahdi now appears to have the support of two on-again, off-again rival parliamentary coalitions: the Sairoon Alliance of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and the Fatah Alliance of Hadi al-Amiri.

Amiri leads Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, which has Iran's support. The United States favors current Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who hasn't fared well in his bid for a second term.

The struggle to create a new Cabinet in Baghdad is indeed thought to be a US-Iranian competition, with each actor trying to end the game by claiming the upper hand. To Tehran, Baghdad isn’t just any capital in the region.

“Iran's approach to Iraq is influenced by a sense of complexity," Iranian political analyst Siavash Fallahpour told Al-Monitor. "There are some currents within the Iranian establishment who see that they have influence in Iraq, perhaps to the extent to make decisions on behalf of the Iraqis themselves.”