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.
I.R.G.C. University Deploys Trainers to “Resistance Front” for Asymmetrical Warfare Experience
Imam Hossein University, a U.S.-designated Iranian military institution affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.), sends its commanders and
Hezbollah Leader Declares Victory in Syria, Recalls Meeting with Khamenei
Lebanese Hezbollah’s Leader Hassan Nasrallah has declared victory in the Syrian war, Iranian and Lebanese media reported today. According to Lebanon’s al-Akhbar daily, Nasrallah said at a religious gathering in Lebanon that Hezbollah and its allies have won the war in Syria and what remains are only scattered battles. “Our martyrs, wounded and prisoners are changing equations and writing the history of the entire region, not just Lebanon’s,” he was quoted as saying.
Iran Rejects I.A.E.A. Chief’s Claim about Inspection of Military Sites
Iranian officials have reiterated that the country would not allow any foreign inspectors to visit its military sites, rejecting International Atomic Energy Agency (I.A.E.A.) head’s Monday remarks that the watchdog makes no distinction between civilian and military sites in its inspect
Iranian-Backed Iraqi Group: Our Forces Are Ready to Recapture al-Qa'im near Syrian Border
A commander of Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) has announced that the paramilitary forces have taken complete preparations to recapture remaining areas under the Islamic State control in western parts of al-Anbar Province close to the Syrian border. According to Fars News Agency, an Iranian outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.), Jawad al-Talibawi, the spokesperson for the armed wing of Iranian-supported Asaib Ahl al-Haq, said P.M.F.
Iraqi Forces Turn Attention to Hawija | Monday Briefing
In this week’s Monday Briefing, MEI experts Paul Salem, Robert S. Ford, Alex Vatanka, and Bilal Y. Saab provide analysis on recent and upcoming events including the Iraqi military’s new operation to take back the town of Hawija from ISIS, the operation by the Syrian regime and U.S.-backed forces in Deir Ezzor, the Pakistani foreign minister’s visit to Iran, and the resumption of U.S. and Egyptian war games after being suspended since the 2011.
Tehran Organizes al-Ghadeer Shiite Religious Event in Damascus
Senior Iranian officials attended a public gathering in Damascus over the weekend to commemorate the Shiite religious event of Eid al-Ghadeer. According to the Iranian media, Abolfazl Tabatabai, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s special representative to Syria, and Javad Torkabadi, Tehran’s ambassador to Damascus, were among keynote speakers at the event. Hundreds of people attended the celebration at the historic Sayyidah Zaynab Mosque in southern Damascus.
Tehran, Proxies Warn against U.S. Military Presence in Post-ISIS Iraq, Syria
The United States is seeking to keep a significant military presence in Iraq and the broader region after the fall of the Islamic State, warns an article in the Islamic Republic News Agency. The author points out that pro-Syrian regime forces have made important territorial gains against the Islamic State recently and claims that the lifting of a siege over the eastern city of Deir Ezzor marks the beginning of the terrorist group’s end.
Iran Says Might Release Evidence It Warned off U.S. Warship in Sea of Oman
A senior commander of the Iranian Navy reiterated that the country’s naval forces had warned an American military vessel to avoid approaching a drowning Ira
Rouhani Urged to Boost “Resistance Economy” to Counter New U.S. Sanctions
An article in Fars News Agency rejects President Hassan Rouhani’s recent claim that anti-Iran sanctions are irreversible and calls on the government to strengthen Iran’s “resistance economy” to counter new U.S. sanctions. Fars is affiliated with the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.). The author argues that if Washington walks away from the nuclear agreement, the U.S. Treasury and Congress will re-impose all pre-deal sanctions – which will deter international companies and banks from doing business with Iran.
Iran Warns K.R.G.’s Independence Plan Could Thrust Iraq back into Chaos
As the Iraqi Kurdistan is set to hold an independence referendum on September 25, Iranian leaders and media outlets continue to warn against the consequences of such a move.
Iranian Leaders Call for Forming “Joint Islamic Army” to Defend Myanmar Muslims
The deputy head of the Iranian Parliament has called for the creation of a joint military forces by Muslim countries to stop violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Senior Iraqi Shiite Leader Says Ties with Tehran Remain Strong
Ammar al-Hakim, a senior Iraqi Shiite politician and cleric, has rejected reports that relations between Tehran and Iraqi Shiite leaders have been souring lately.
I.R.G.C. Outlet: U.S. to Hand Over al-Tanf’s Control to Syrian Government
According to an agreement between the United States, Jordan, Russia and Syria, armed opposition groups will voluntarily leave eastern Damascus for Jordan, from where they will ultimately be transferred al-Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria, Fars News Agency reports. The Iranian outlet adds that two U.S.-backed rebel groups have reached an agreement in southeastern Damascus to surrender their weapons to the Syrian government in exchange for a safe passage to Jordan.
Iran-Backed Militia Group Threatens to Attack U.S. Troops in Iraq
A commander of Iranian-backed Iraqi militia group has warned that his forces will target American troops in Iraq if they do not leave the country after the battle against the Islamic State is over, the Iranian media reported. Jafar al-Hussaini, the spokesman for Kata’ib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Brigades), also accused the United States and the leadership of the Iraqi Kurdistan of assisting Islamic State militants to safely withdraw from Tal Afar, an Iraqi city west of Mosul recently liberated from the Islamic State.
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.
