The rise of the Islamic State (IS) in 2014 created the opportunity to make Haider al-Abadi Iraq's prime minister. Since then, he has had to manage a balancing act between Iran and the United States, a task he has addressed openly with Western media. With US President Donald Trump and a revised American Middle East policy much more inclined toward Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia, the United States has tried to curb Iranian influence in Iraq and the region. Abadi's recent trip to Saudi Arabia is one initiative welcomed and facilitated by the United States in their goal to reduce Iranian regional influence.
Iran's general official position through the Foreign Ministry is that they welcome dialogue and cooperation between all regional countries. However, media outlets — particularly conservative ones believed to be linked to the security agencies in the country — have written much more directly on how they view both US efforts to curb Iranian influence in Iraq and a possible Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement.
