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In light of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran, Iraq fears that its territories will be a stage for a new and more intense confrontation between the two countries, especially in the final weeks of President Donald Trump’s term, according to a report by the Washington Post.
Ethnic anxiety increased after the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in Tehran on Friday.
Iraq was the scene of clashes between Tehran and Washington, after Iranian General Qasimi Soleimani was assassinated last January in a US raid near the Baghdad airport, while Iran responded with air strikes against several military bases that house US forces in Iraq.
Likewise, after dozens of Iraqi militiamen loyal to Tehran were killed in a US bombing, after an American was killed in a bombing of Katyusha in the Green Zone where the US embassy is located.
A party and a threat
Currently, the region is experiencing heightened tension after the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in Tehran on Friday, in a process in which Iran hinted at an Israeli role.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard promised revenge for Zadeh’s assassination, while President Trump threatened a crushing response if any Americans were killed.
Trump was reported to have considered a preemptive strike against Iran before abandoning it at the urging of his military advisers.
“Reasonable concerns”
Omar Al-Nadawi, director of programs for the Center for Empowering Peace in Iraq in Washington, said that “the situation is complicated and Iraq’s concerns are justified and logical, but should not be overstated. The Trump administration has a desire for a military escalation. complicating any attempt by Biden to return to the nuclear deal with Tehran. ”
But the “military escalation” according to Al-Nadaawi’s statement to the Al-Hurra sites, “is not in the interest of the United States or Iran, but if another party undertakes a unilateral military escalation, such as militias, for example, this may have consequences whose consequences are unknown. ”
The United States recently sent B-52 bombers to the region and, in the last hours, returned the warship “USS Nimitz” to the Gulf, in a move the Pentagon linked to an expected withdrawal of US forces from the region.
Find a policy of self-control?
Observers had expected Iran to pursue a policy of restraint until President Trump left, after losing the election to Democrat Joe Biden, according to US media.
Supporting this trend is a recent visit to Baghdad, according to the new commander of the Iranian Quds Force, Ismail Qaani, with the aim of defusing the situation and advising Iraqi militias not to escalate with Washington.
“Logic dictates that they should not be dragged away,” continues Mneimneh, speaking about the Iranians, but adds: “Emotions and resentment are high, and the possibility of danger is very possible, after Zade’s assassination.”
“The scene is complicated”
Al-Kazemi is under strong US pressure to intensify its campaign against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, some of which are operating in isolation from Iran.
Despite a truce declared by the Hezbollah Brigades, a militia called “The Owners of the Caves” fired missiles last week at the US embassy in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, but did not cause any US casualties or Iraqi security forces. The bombing, according to the militia, was in response to a raid in Fallujah that resulted in the arrest of three of its commanders.
“A very critical period”
“The likelihood of an escalation is high. As a government, I think Iraqis just wish they could close their eyes and allow these two months to pass,” the Washington newspaper quotes Sajjad Jiyad, an Iraq expert and member of the Century Foundation, referring to the end of Trump’s term for December 20. Next January, if he confirms his loss to Biden.
