Iran seeks Shiite consensus on next Iraqi premier
Iran would prefer that Nouri al-Maliki serve a third term as Iraqi prime minister, but will also give priority to a consensus among the Iraqi Shiite parties.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has received direct and ongoing support from Iran during the eight years of his mandate, and has maintained excellent relations with Tehran throughout this period. He refrained from criticizing the Iranian regime while he was making scathing comments against [other] countries involved in the situation in Iraq. Maliki did not express any opposition to Iran’s requests regarding Iraqi domestic issues, nor to those involving the country’s foreign affairs that are linked to Iran’s interests in Syria and other countries.
During the 2010 elections, Iran insisted on supporting Maliki and forced its allies from other Shiite parties to join hands in order to bring him to power for a second time, despite their strong objections and the objections of non-Shiite parties. Iran showed a tendency, before the elections, to keep Maliki in office for a third term, and there have been many negotiations in this regard.
