For two months he is in office. Earlier this week, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has traveled to a visit to Tehran. As a "turning point" in relations between the two countries, the Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described the visit. "We are still ready to stand side by side with the Iraqi Nation and for us for stability in Iraq and the Nation as a whole to use," said Rouhani.

Al-Khadimi said the show of Solidarity. "Iraq will not allow any side a danger for Iran to run out," he explained. Coined these words were mainly to the killing of the commander of the Iranian Al-Quds brigades, Qassem Soleimani, in January of this year by an American drone. Last weekend, the Iranian had traveled foreign Minister Javad Zarif in Baghdad. There, he went also to that place, to the Soleimani died.

the orchestration of the two visits had a clear message to the Iranian leadership signalled that it has not forgotten the killing Soleimanis. On the other Kadhimi made it clear that the Iraq wool tie such actions of the USA in the future where possible.

Khamenei: "The US is an enemy"

However, the Iraqi head of government of the United States is also dependent. Despite the continued troop withdrawal of the Americans, this will keep your Hand via the government Kadhimis in Washington as an affable and reasonable interlocutor.

The spiritual leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei, reminded his host once again to the fact that Soleimani had died on Iraqi territory. "(The Americans) have killed your guests in your home. Then, you have confessed to the crime in the open."

Though Khamenei is insured, he did not want to interfere in the internal Affairs of Iraq. But at the same time, he called on Kadhimi, a in January, the draft law adopted to implement the expulsion of American forces from Iraq. "The USA is an enemy," said Khamenei further. "You do not support independent, powerful Iraq".

resistance to Iran's influence in Iraq

Much is likely to depend from an Iranian point of view of the relationship between Iraq and the United States will develop in the coming months. Ways to take on the political and public life in the neighbouring country of influence, has of Iran. He supports several Shiite militia groups, such as Kataib Hezbollah and the Badr organization. In particular, the Badr group, the influence is enormously rich.

"So that Iran will secure a far-reaching military and political influence to prevent that the neighboring state could be a military threat to their country," writes middle East expert Azadeh Zamirida of the Berlin science and politics Foundation (SWP). "At the same time, Tehran contributes to the creation of own structures in the neighbouring country, inevitably, to hamper the stabilisation of Iraq."

In recent times, more and more Iraqis turned against this influence. During the protests last fall, they called the religious and political unity of their country - a Signal to Iran, to keep the Iraqi issues out. With discomfort, many Iraqis are watching the foreign policy course of the government in Tehran, how he fight with Saudi Arabia, for example, in the power. Yemen is a cautionary tale of how easily a third-party state to the stage of the power struggle between two foreign actors can be, with disastrous consequences for the population.

Tehran's new friends in Iraq

This Position has made it increasingly Moqtada Al-Sadr, one of the most influential Shiite leader in Iraq, to own. Although Sadr controlled indirectly via the movement sent deputies around 50 seats in the national Assembly. But since then he's been known to nationalist positions, diminishes his influence among his followers. During his visit to Baghdad last week Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif refrained from outdoor, accordingly, at a Meeting with Al-Sadr.

If Iran wants to bring his political positions in Iraq for the expression, use it now to another, more radical group, said in an analysis of the political magazine, the Arab Weekly, namely the Al-Fateh Alliance. "Both in terms of the future of the U.S. armed forces in Iraq, such as the ongoing escalation against the Saudi end-Arabia complies with its tough rhetoric, the ideas of Khamenei and the Islamic revolutionary guards", - stated in the Arab Weekly.

pilgrims and trade

In dealing with the USAspielt the Iraq from an Iranian point of view, a further role: It may help to bypass the US sanctions. In the year 2019, Iran has exported to the state news Agency IRNA, according to goods to the value of nearly nine billion dollars in Iraq. Both countries planned well, these amount to up to 20 billion dollars to expand.

once again, Iraq is to travel of pilgrims to Iran. Their number was decreased in the course of the Corona pandemic, massive- a huge loss for Iran, the information of the Qatari news channel Al-Jazeera estimates that every year approximately five billion dollars of the pilgrims deserves.

author: Kersten Knipp

*The contribution of "Delicate relationship care of Iraq and Iran" is published by Deutsche Welle. Contact with the executives here.

Deutsche Welle

Date Of Update: 24 July 2020, 06:26