The Americans Are Gone. Will Iraq’s Militias Disarm?
On September 30, the US completed its military withdrawal from Iraq, ending a 12-year-long mission to combat ISIS that began in 2014. The date was also meant to be the deadline for disarming the largely Iranian-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), but Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has now pushed that cutoff back to June 30, 2027. MEI Distinguished Diplomatic Fellow Amb. (ret.) Robert S. Ford joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to discuss what the US military withdrawal means for Iraqi security and the nature of the bilateral relationship going forward. They also speak about what it will take for Baghdad to bring the PMF militias to heel, and how Iraq may navigate the post-Iran war era.
Jordan’s Economy Weathers Iran War’s Shocks and Finds New Opportunities
In the summer of 2003, King Abdullah II told Bloomberg Jordan sits “between Iraq and a hard place,” a play on words designed to describe the kingdom’s challenging environment to an American audience amid the US-led Iraq war to the east and the lingering Palestinian-Israeli conflict to the west. Jordan is grappling with a much “harder place” today.
Proponents of the war with Iran have taken recent increases in crude-oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz as proof that the US strategy is finally working. President Trump is so confident in this that he recently rejected a seven-day plan, set forward by Iran’s foreign ministry, to end the war and open the strait. The United States is “winning tremendously,” Trump boasted.
Monday Briefing: ISIS losing territory, President Erdogan visits Sudan
In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Charles Lister, W. Robert Pearson, and Yousef Munayyer provide analysis on ISIS’ continued threat to security despite losing territory, President Erdogan’s upcoming visit to Sudan as a political calculation, and Mohammed Dahlan’s effort to return to Palestinian politics.
Rouhani to Qatari Leader: Iran Stands with Doha, Rejects “Unacceptable Siege”
On Sunday, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani pledged support for Qatar in its latest standoff with Saudi Arabia and its regional allies and called for the expansion of bilateral ties between Tehran and Doha, the Iranian media reported.
Iran Seeks Role in Syria's Reconstruction, Economy
Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Javad Torkabadi has said that the Islamic Republic is ready to help Syria’s reconstruction after the defeat of the Islamic State in the war-ravaged country, Iranian media reported. “Many companies in Iran are ready to help Syria in the housing and reconstruction fields rendering their best services now that victory is in sight in Syria after a protracted battle,” he was quoted as telling Syrian Minister of Housing Hussein Arnus at a meeting in Damascus.
Rouhani Lauds I.R.G.C. for Developing and Using Missiles
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani hailed efforts by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) to develop and employ advanced weapons to protect the country, Iranian media reported. “I’d like to thank the ones that manufacture strategic arms for the country and the ones that employ such strategic weapons very well,” Rouhani said in a meeting of top Iranian officials and ambassadors of Islamic nations on the occasion of Eid in Tehran.
Iranian Demonstrators Chant Slogans against U.S. and Saudi Arabia during anti-Israel “Quds Day” Rallies
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians today marched the streets of Tehran and across the country to mark the International Quds Day, Iranian media reported. The demonstrators voiced support to the plight of Palestinians and chanted slogans against Israel and the United States. Senior political and military leaders, including President Hassan Rouhani and Islamic Revolution Guards Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari, attended the anti-Israeli rallies.
I.R.G.C. Displays Ballistic Missiles at anti-Israel Rallies in Tehran
During the annual “International Quds Day” rallies in Tehran today, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) showcased its ballistic missiles to send a message to Israel. At Valiasr Street in Tehran, three ballistic missiles were displayed, including Zolfighar missiles that the I.R.G.C. launched against Islamic State positions in Syria recently. Hundreds of people, including government officials, gathering near the missile exhibition and a number of them wrote anti-Israel slogans on the missiles.
Iraqi Paramilitary Forces Say Will Participate in Tal Afar Operation despite Sunni Concerns
A commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) – the Iraqi paramilitary forces also known as Hashd al-Shaabi – has announced that the operation to liberate Tal Afar region in western Mosul will begin soon after the end of Ramadan.
The ongoing Qatar crisis poses a major dilemma for Kuwait and Oman. Consistent with their “neutral” foreign policies, these two Arab Gulf states have maintained ties with Doha and seek to resolve the gravest internal Gulf Cooperation Council (G.C.C.) row since the organization’s establishment in 1981. Officials in Kuwait City and Muscat fear that failure to settle the Qatar crisis will break up the council, which would directly undermine vital Kuwaiti and Omani national interests given the potential for such a scenario to dramatically exacerbate regional geopolitical instability.
Khamenei to Abadi: Don’t Allow American Troops in Iraq and Keep Popular Forces
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Iran opposed the presence of American forces in Iraq and urged Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi not to rely on Washington.
I.R.G.C. Contradicts Rouhani and Intelligence Minister on Syria Missile Strikes
On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) in a statement said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had ordered the launch of missiles into Syria over the weekend.
Iranian Parliament Speaker: Missile Strikes Sent Powerful Message to U.S., Region
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said today that Iran sent a powerful message to the United States and Israel by firing missiles into Syria, Fars News Agency reported.
Analyst Cautions Rouhani against Falling Prey to U.S. “Game” and Leaving Nuclear Deal
An article in state-run Islamic Republic News Agency cautions the Rouhani government against falling prey to the “new game” by the Trump administration and its Middle Eastern allies – which the author claimed are provoking Tehran to abandon the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Saudi King Salman’s appointment of his son Mohammed bin Salman to be first in line to the throne has sent shockwaves in Tehran. While the Iranian government has not officially reacted to the announcement yet, the country’s state media warn that the 31-year-old prince will pursue a more aggressive policy vis-à-vis Iran – pointing out that Prince Mohammed has made explicit threats against the Islamic Republic, has cultivated close ties with the Trump administration, and has not shied away from confronting Iran’s proxies in Yemen, Syria and the broader region.
The oldest peer-reviewed publication dedicated to the study of the modern Middle East, MEI’s flagship journal covers politics, society, and culture in the region.
