WASHINGTON (Reuters) – On Sunday ,US national security adviser John Bolton said , “The United States has sent the Carrie , USS Abraham Lincoln and a force of bombers to the Middle East to “send a clear signal to Iran that any attack on the interests of the United States or its allies will be met with great force . Bolton added that the decision was taken in response to a number of indications and growing alarms and alarming. He stressed that Washington was not seeking war with Tehran, but was ready to respond to any attack by the Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s regular army or its agents.
Meanwhile , the US news site Xeos said that the administration of president George Trump is preparing to announce a new package of sanctions on Iran this week, the site quoting two US government officials as saying sanctions could be announced next Wednesday, one year after the United States withdrew from the agreement with Iran, and according to the same site, officials did not disclose the nature of the sanctions, but they stressed that it may include new sectors of the Iranian economy, other than the energy sector, and the question that raises in this context : what are the repercussions of US-Iranian tension on Iraq?
Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi received a phone call from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of enhancing cooperation between the two friendly countries and deepening economic relations and Iraq’s desire to transfer the US technology and expertise to Iraq and create job opportunities inside Iraq and develop vital sectors. Prime Minister stressed the importance of strengthening the efforts of the two parties to resolve the final negotiations and the signing of the project of “one package” with US Exxon Mobil to develop the Iraqi energy sector.
The Prime Minister reviewed the results of his European tour and other important issues of mutual interest .Pompio confirmed the United States support for the Iraqi government and its foreign policy, welcomed Iraq’s role and its great position in the region and the promotion of economic, political and cultural cooperation between the two countries and in an unannounced telephone call , according to data obtained by Rawabet Center , Pompeo called on the Iraqi prime minister to reduce the influence of Popular crowd in the institutions of the Iraqi state, and the reconstruction of Mosul and stressed the exit of the popular crowd from the Nineveh Plain and handed over to sectors of the Iraqi army.
And based on the two announced and unannounced calls , and after the signing of the contract of US Exxon Mobil to develop the Iraqi energy sector, the distance between Washington and Baghdad are getting closer noting that the postponed visit of Adel Abdul Mahdi to Washington due to the dissatisfaction of US about the policies of Iraq, but now the matter is different and to have things back to normal of US-Iraqi relations and Adel Adel Abdul Mahdi may be visit the White House in near future .
Since the assumption of Adel Abdul Mahdi, the presidency of the Council of Ministers of Iraq, seeks with every effort to establish an internal balance, in the sense that he seeks to be at the one distance from all political forces in Iraq, and externally tries as much as possible to balance the relationship between Washington and Tehran, in the interests of Iraq and avoid many problems and the challenges, Iraq today faces many serious and great obstacles that threaten the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, including: the Arab company partner with the oil tankers company to smuggle oil with an “Iraqi Menifest This is very dangerous, and the control of one of the armed factions on the ports of the Iraqi border with Syria and Jordan, This is very dangerous for the prestige of Iraqi sovereignty in terms of this faction is linked with Iran. The answers to the questions addressed to Prime Minister Adel Abdulmahdi by MP Faleh Hassan Jassim in January last year, and his replies, undoubtedly the Iraqi prime minister is keen on Iraq’s sovereignty over the number of coalition forces in Iraq, and concerning the strategic framework agreement with the United States of America and the presence of Turkish forces on Iraqi territory.
Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and his deputy for energy know that Washington is determined to implement strict sanctions against Tehran, and that the exemption granted to Iraq is a temporary exemption so that Iraq can solve the problem of importing Iranian gas and electricity. Washington wants Baghdad to develop a roadmap to end the dependence on the Iranian gas and electricity and to see their production from inside Iraq, and according to information obtained by the Rawabet Center for research and strategic studies, Washington will extend the Iraqi exemption from Iran for three months.
As the politics does not know stability , it is moving sand , there is a development of a political move in which some leaders are trying to turn into opposition , this movement does not serve the interests of Tehran in Baghdad, so it seeks by various means to freeze or delay it , according to information obtained by the Rawabet Center , Qassem Soleimani visited Iraq 10 days ago – a secret and quick visit lasted only 24 hours, to bring the views of Tehran’s allies closer in Baghdad, and he did not succeed in achieving this, because a lot of things have changed in Iraq.
Militarily, the Iraqi naval force concluded an agreement with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to cooperate in all fields. This agreement has disturbed and worried at the same time the United States of America, the Western countries, the International Alliance and the Gulf States, especially the State of Kuwait. Western political circles are also frustrated by the growing strength of the navy of popular crowd in Iraq.
Economically, despite the high prices of oil until the price of a barrel reached up to US $ 70, the economic situation in Iraq is very bad, Iraq needs large amounts of money to restore the rehabilitation of all the facilities of the Iraqi state, for example infrastructure in Iraq needs a revolution for rehabilitation , Adel Abdul Mahdi is trying to forcefully implement procedural policies affecting the lives of citizens directly, but he collides with some of the mafias of corruption to prevent such measures.
The irony in the sanctions imposed on Iran is that its negative impact on Iraqi society is more severe than its impact on Iranian society, because Iran has its tools in Iraq to ease the sanctions even if it is at the expense of the Iraqi society!! Iran strives to ensure that these sanctions do not affect its route to the eastern Mediterranean. To sum up, Iran has been investing in Iraq since 2003 to serve its strategic interests.
Iraqi Studies Unit
Rawbet Center for Research and Strategic Studies