As chaos and violence consume Iraq, US keeps focus on deterring Iran

The Trump administration’s realism is well suited to the crisis in Iraq, with a clear red line on keeping out Iranian missiles.
A protester holds an Iraqi flag amid a cloud of smoke from burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq November 26, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC2ZID9MARY6
A protester holds an Iraqi flag amid a cloud of smoke from burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq, Nov. 26, 2019. - REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani
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Week in Review
@AlMonitor

In Iraqi councils about the next prime minister, Iran is in the room and the United States is not even in the building.

“We have a policy of not meddling in government formation,” a senior State Department official said this week.

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