Intel: US signals support for Iraq’s latest prime minister-designate

Secretary of State Michael Pompeo signaled support for Iraq’s newest prime minister-designate, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, in a statement today.

“The United States looks forward to the formation of a new Iraqi government capable of confronting the COVID-19 pandemic, ameliorating the country’s current economic distress and bringing arms under state control,” Pompeo said in a statement. “We welcome that [Shiite], Sunni and Kurdish political leaders seem to have arrived at a consensus on government formation and hope the new government puts Iraq’s interests first and meets the needs of the Iraqi people.”

Why it matters: Kadhimi is the third candidate to lead Iraq since former Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi resigned last year amid mass anti-government protests targeting corruption and the lack of basic services. Kadhimi, formerly Iraq’s intelligence chief, is not affiliated with any party, and he may even currently have the support of most major Iraqi political factions.

Iran had opposed former Prime Minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi, the former US-appointed governor of Najaf in the wake of the 2003 invasion. However, the leader of the pro-Iran Fatah bloc, Hadi al-Amiri, attended Kadhimi’s appointment ceremony in Baghdad last week after weeks of opposition to Zurfi. On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi welcomed "the consensus reached among Iraqi political groups … resulting in the designation of [Kadhimi] as the new prime minister of Iraq."