At a time when the US finds itself mired in a quagmire due to miscalculations and alignment with the Israeli regime in West Asian crises, particularly developments in the Strait of Hormuz and its inability to confront Iran’s authority and the Axis of Resistance, it has, in a striking move, intensified its destabilizing and disruptive activities in Iraq.
Within this framework, the United States, in a clear violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and independence, has abducted an Iraqi citizen and transferred him to US territory, alleging that he had links with Iraqi resistance groups. US prosecutors have claimed that Mohammad Baqir Saad Dawoud Al-Saadi, along with several others, was involved in attacks on the Toronto consulate as well as another attack on a synagogue in Canada.
Previously, the US Treasury Department had also sanctioned Ali Moarej Al-Bahdali, Iraq’s deputy oil minister, on allegations of cooperation with the resistance and facilitating the sale of Iranian oil. In addition, three senior resistance figures in Iraq were also placed on the sanctions list, commanders from Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and Asaib Ahl al-Haq.
Notably, amid these developments, reports have emerged of a sudden visit by Petraeus, the former US commander in Iraq and the region and former CIA director, to Baghdad. At the same time, these actions, combined with reports of the existence of covert Israeli regime bases in Iraq, as well as claims that they have been targeted by the US and Israel, point to the emergence of a new scenario by Washington: a plan to expand interference in Iraq’s domestic affairs, disrupt the new government’s balanced foreign policy, and push Iraq toward regional crises and tensions. A trajectory that demands vigilance and a coordinated Iraqi response.
Political pressure and power engineering: Washington’s fixed strategy in Iraq
At a time when Iraq’s new government, backed by popular and parliamentary support, seeks to address economic challenges, combat corruption, strengthen defense and security independence, and expand regional cooperation, the United States appears to remain committed to its traditional policy of weakening independent governments, attempting to drag Iraq into marginal, draining crises and divert it from achieving its core objectives.
On the one hand, this approach prevents the emergence of an indigenous model of democracy and popular governance in Iraq and its potential influence across the region. On the other, it serves to legitimize the continued US military presence, political interference, and economic influence in Iraq. In effect, Washington is redefining crisis in Iraq in order to prevent the formation of a coherent government with balanced domestic and foreign policy, ultimately portraying Iraqi governance as ineffective to justify future interventions.
A strategy of weakening national security and disarming Iraq
In 2003, the United States dismantled Iraq’s military and intelligence structures, laying the groundwork for the country’s disarmament, a process that ultimately contributed to the emergence of ISIS. In contrast, the formation of resistance forces and coordination between the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and the Iraqi army has played a key role in restoring internal security and enhancing regional stability, a development that has significantly undermined the legitimacy of the US military presence in Iraq.
Now, on the eve of the formation of a new government, Washington is once again seeking, through economic, political, and security pressure, including proposals to disarm resistance groups, to recreate Iraq’s defenselessness. Threats against resistance commanders and the imposition of economic sanctions, including on Iraqi oil sector officials, should be understood within this framework.
A new scenario to entangle Iraq in regional crises
While Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaydi stated during the handover ceremony in Baghdad that his government would focus on a balanced foreign policy, expanding international relations, and safeguarding national interests, the United States appears to be working to entangle Iraq in a cycle of escalating tensions and complex crises, crises that would affect not only its territorial integrity but also its regional relations.
In this context, reports have emerged of new US military and intelligence bases in Iraq. This, combined with efforts to implement the Baghdad–Washington security agreement, signals the beginning of a new phase of US military presence in the country. This trend becomes even more significant as General Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, has spoken of expanding the US role in Syria under the pretext of combating Daesh, despite the fact that groups such as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham themselves have origins rooted in terrorist networks.
Path out of crisis and strengthening Iraq’s sovereignty
Given the historical behavior of the United States and its broader strategic frameworks aligned with the regional agenda of the Israeli regime, recent US actions can be seen as part of a project to redefine insecurity in Iraq in order to justify future intervention.
In such circumstances, strengthening national unity, implementing the parliamentary resolution to fully expel foreign forces, providing legal support for resistance groups, executing security agreements with regional countries including Iran, countering the presence of terrorist and separatist groups in the Kurdistan Region, and enhancing regional convergence within the framework of countering US–Israeli terrorism can all contribute to stabilizing Iraq’s new government and enabling it to play a more effective role in regional equations and the emerging global order.
NOURNEWS