The election of Joe Biden could be a boost for Iraq if the incoming US President backs down from the maximum pressure policy on Iran pursued by Donald Trump's administration, a senior adviser to Iraq's Prime Minister said.
Dr Fanar Haddad said the current government of Mustafa Al Kadhimi, who has been Prime Minister since May 2020, had suffered from the deterioration of US-Iran relations.
"It was painfully obvious in the last year or two the extent to which Iran-US policy impacts on Iraq and the extent to which this is beyond Iraq's control," Dr Haddad told a Chatham House conference called Iraq: Navigating reform, collapse and the status quo.
Mr Trump has been deeply critical of the Iranian regime and in 2018 pulled the US out of a landmark 2015 nuclear deal that sought to clamp down on Iran’s nuclear prowess. He described the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) as terrible and renewed crippling sanctions on Iran. Tehran responded by breaching the deal.
The US President also approved an air strike that killed influential Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani and Abu Mahdi Muhandis, a senior Iraqi commander in the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces, earlier this year in Baghdad.
Mr Biden was US Vice-President in 2015 when the JCPOA was agreed.
“So there are elements in the political set-up, there are elements in Iraq’s foreign policy, there are elements in Iraq’s security landscape that are within Iraq’s control,” said Dr Haddad.
“There is a separate layer that is beyond Iraq’s control and is directly related to and reflective of the state of relations between Iran and the United States. The outgoing US administration has been, shall we say, unhelpful in that regard by pursuing a policy of maximum pressure with no discernible end goal.
“This is something that has affected Iraq very negatively and we are hoping that in the incoming administration that there will be a return to the negotiation table. The calmer that relations are or tensions are between Iran and the United States, the better the situation is for Iraq,” he added.
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MATCH INFO
RB Leipzig 2 (Klostermann 24', Schick 68')
Hertha Berlin 2 (Grujic 9', Piatek 82' pen)
Man of the match Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham v Ajax, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
