IRAQ: Iraq\u2019s prime minister has squashed a move by pro-Iranian factions in his government who wanted to retaliate against President Donald Trump\u2019s travel ban. The struggle shows the difficult position the Iraqi leader finds himself in \u2013 pulled between his most powerful neighbor and the United States under Trump.
\nFor Haider al-Abadi, the situation had looked difficult on Sunday night. At a meeting of the most powerful Shia leaders and their representatives, he faced calls to respond in kind to the ban affecting seven mainly Muslim nations, including Iraq.
\nTrump\u2019s order had triggered angry reactions among Shia politicians in Iraq. Those who are closest to Iran were insisting that Iraq should retaliate with a ban on U.S. nationals, just like Tehran did the day before.
\nBut matters were resolved smoothly in Abadi\u2019s favor. The prime minister warned the Shia leaders that a ban on Americans would jeopardize U.S. support for the war on Islamic State. So they were prepared for the time being at least to reject the demands of the pro-Iranian lobby.
\nWhile the leaders agreed that the U.S. order was unfair, it was understood that Iran\u2019s allies had no alternative plan on how to finish the battle in Mosul, the last major city under the control of IS militants, without U.S. help.
\nAbadi said at a news conference on Tuesday that Iraq was best served by preserving the U.S. alliance. “We are … in a battle and we don\u2019t want to harm the national interest.”
\nIran\u2019s allies are, nevertheless, preparing to press their cause again should relations deteriorate further between Washington and Iran after the battle of Mosul, said Ahmed Younis, a professor of international relations at the University of Baghdad.
\nOne prominent member of parliament warned the situation could change if the ban was extended.
\n“The Americans promised to review the ban in three months,” said Hassan Khalati, a lawmaker close to Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, a prominent Shi\u2019ite cleric and politician who hosted Sunday\u2019s meeting. “If it is maintained, there will be (further) pressure” on the government to retaliate, he said.
\nIn a sign of lingering dissatisfaction a show of hands in parliament on Monday signaled that the majority of lawmakers would have preferred a retaliatory travel ban. The show of hands was symbolic because Shi\u2019ite leaders had backed down at the meeting the day earlier.
\nThe new American president has indicated a cooling of relations with Iran, unlike the previous administration of Barack Obama which reached a deal providing for curbs on the Iranian nuclear program in return for easing international sanctions.
\nWashington on Friday ratcheted up pressure on Iran, putting sanctions on 13 individuals and 12 entities days after the White House put Tehran “on notice” over a ballistic missile test.
\nIran\u2019s dominant influence in Iraqi politics was eroded after IS routed the Iraqi army commanded then by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who was a close ally of Tehran. This forced Maliki to seek U.S. help to fight the IS militants.
\nBut the U.S. travel curbs – which bar the admission of people from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen – fueled the arguments of pro-Iranian political factions who seek to bolster Tehran\u2019s influence at the expense of Washington.
\nIranian officials state their support for Iraq in the war on Islamic State but make no public comments on U.S.-Iraqi affairs to avoid causing embarrassment for Baghdad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
IRAQ: Iraq\u2019s prime minister has squashed a move by pro-Iranian factions in his government who wanted to retaliate against President Donald Trump\u2019s travel ban. The struggle shows the difficult position the Iraqi leader finds himself in \u2013 pulled between his most powerful neighbor and the United States under Trump. For Haider al-Abadi, the situation had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11633,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-11597","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n