Baghdad (AP) – The Iraqi Prime Minister stands by the sidelines of his country. The military conflict was furious nearby It’s been almost two years. This required a balance between Iraq and his power and the relationship between the two countries, essential to his enemy: the United States and Iran.
The feat was particularly difficult last month When the war broke out Between Israel, US allies, Iran, and the US have struck Iran’s nuclear ground. Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said it would use a mix of political and military pressure to stop armed groups that would prevent Iran from entering the fight.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, Al-Sudani explains how he did this, how he is restraining these groups from restraining, and why he wants to get closer to the Trump administration when he wants a second period, even as he maintains strong ties with Iran-backed parties that helped him promote power in 2022.
Stay on the sidelines when Israel and Iran trade
After Israel launched airstrikes in Iran and responded by launching missiles in Tel Aviv, Iraqi armed groups attempted to launch missiles and drones at Israel, and attempted to house US troops at Iraqi bases, Al Sudani said. However, they were thwarted 29 times by the Iraqi government’s “security operations” that he did not detail.
“The (Israel) government has policies to expand the war in the region and we know that we still do that,” Al Sudani said. “Therefore, we have made sure that no justification is given to parties targeting Iraq.”
Al Sudani said his government also reached out to Iranian leaders to “satise them and make room for a return to dialogue and negotiations.”
The future of the US existence in Iraq is in flux
Last year, the US and Iraq announced an agreement to close the mission of the US-led coalition in the battle for Iraq Islamic nation – And in March, Al Sudani announced that he had Iraq and Syrian heads. Killed in a joint operation by Iraq US. The first phase of the Union’s drawdown was supposed to be completed by September 2025, but there were few indications that it was happening.
Al Sudani said the US and Iraq will meet by the end of the year to “settle bilateral security relations” between the two countries. He also wants to ensure US economic investment in oil and gas and artificial intelligence. It says it will contribute to the safety of the region and “together bring both countries together.”
A number of militias were born in Iraq a few years after the 2003 US invasion that overthrew former dictatorial leader Saddam Hussein. And since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October 2023, a series of pro-armed facts have been launched regularly at bases that house US troops.
Al Sudani said that the presence of the Allied forces provided “justification” for Iraqi groups to arm themselves, but once the retraction of the coalition is complete, “there is no need or justification for the group to carry weapons outside the sphere of the state.”
The fate of Iran-backed militias in Iraq is unknown
One of the most complicated questions for Al Sudani is how to deal with popular mobilization forces. The coalition was officially deployed under Iraqi military control in 2016, but in fact operates with significant autonomy.
The Iraqi legislature is debating laws that solidify ties between the military and the PMF and challenge it from Washington. In a statement last week, the State Department said the law would “institutionalize Iran’s influence and institutionalize armed terrorist groups that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty.”
Al Sudani defended the proposed law, saying it was part of an effort to ensure that arms are controlled by the state. “Security agencies must operate under the law, be subject to them and be accountable,” he said.
Signs of weak national authority
In recent weeks, a series of drone attacks have targeted oil facilities in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.
Kurdish authorities accused the group of carrying out an attack at the PMF. Authorities in Baghdad disputed this but have not assigned any condemnations. Al Sudani called the attack “terrorist law” and said his government would work with Kurdish authorities and the Allied forces to identify and hold the person responsible for it.
Just as the drone attacks raised doubts on control over the armed groups in Baghdad; Elizabeth Tulkov, a researcher from Israel and RussiaHe went missing in Iraq in 2023.
Her family believes she is being held by Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah, and reportedly there were talks via the US to negotiate her release.
Al Sudani did not name the group of heads of Tulkov’s lure, but he opposed the idea that his government had not made any serious efforts to free her. He said his government has a team dedicated to finding her.
“We don’t negotiate with gangsters or temptants,” he said, but the team is in discussion with political factions who may be able to find her.
Reconstructing relationship with Damascus
After the lightning strikes led by Sunni Muslim rebels, relations between Iraq and the new Syrian government have been sparse since the collapse of former President Bashar Assad in December.
Syrian interim president Ahmad al-Shara was previously known by Abu Mohamed al-Gorani. He once joined the al-Qaeda rebel ranks fighting US troops in Iraq after a US-led invasion in 2003.
Al-Shara later broke down with Al-Qaeda and fought against the Islamic state. Al Sudani said his government is coordinating with the new Syrian government, particularly on security issues.
“We and the Syrian regime certainly have a common enemy: ISIS. This is clearly and openly present within Syria,” he said.
Al Sudani said his government warned Syrians of mistakes that took place in Iraq after Saddam collapse. Denominational violence in Syria has shaken up a vulnerable postwar recovery in recent weeks.
Al Sudani called on Syria’s current leadership to pursue a “comprehensive political process that includes all components and communities.”
“We don’t want to split Syria,” he said. “This is unacceptable and we certainly don’t want any foreign presence in Syrian soil,” it appears to be clearly hinting at Israel’s invasion of Syria.
