A US report reminds Iraqi politicians of the taboos in forming the new government.
A US report reminds Iraqi politicians of the taboos in forming the new government.
2025-11-16 03:39
Shafaq News – Translation
A US report on Sunday reminded that the main challenge in Iraq is preventing it from falling into the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s administration, should Iranian-backed parties be allowed to enter and pursue Tehran’s economic interests through them .
The report issued by the American “Foundation for Defense of Democracies” stated that the end of the voting does not mean that there will be a new government anytime soon .
According to the report translated by Shafaq News Agency, the election results did not lead to shocking conclusions, but they also did not result in a clear victory. Although the Reconstruction and Development list led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani won more than 1.3 million votes, or about 11% of the total, this is not enough for him to rule alone .
The report argues that the challenge facing political leaders in power-sharing negotiations to form the new government will be “forming a coalition that does not make concessions on governmental and economic interests to Iran, because that could put Iraq in the crosshairs of the Trump administration .”
The report noted that “the Shiite parties obtaining about 187 seats in the House of Representatives represents a comfortable margin above the 165 seats required for a majority, despite the absence of Muqtada al-Sadr’s movement .”
Following the Sudanese bloc, among the Shiite forces and figures, came the parties of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Qais al-Khazali, whom Washington designated as a “terrorist,” and the leader of the Badr Organization, Hadi al-Amiri, as the report indicated that the three are “closely allied with Iran .”
The report also drew attention to the Kurdish context of the elections, noting that “the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which received about one million votes, decisively defeated its rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which received nearly half of this electoral support .”
According to the same report, “The Shiite coalition that led the last government, i.e. the Coordination Framework, is currently divided despite the strong numbers of the Shiite parties, indicating that the leaders of the Framework are considering the idea of an electoral alliance that excludes the Sudanese party, which is betting on gaining a second government term, while leaders in the Framework are concerned that this may enhance its power and authority .”
The report noted that many in the Shiite forces disagreed with al-Sudani about the “balance approach” he follows between Tehran and Washington, and recalled what Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said recently about the Trump administration informing Iraqi officials that six militias supported by Tehran, designated by the US as terrorist organizations, cannot be part of the new government .
The report continued, “Al-Khazali’s political party, which is formally separate from the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq militias, is included in this ban .”
For this reason, the American report says, if “Washington sticks to this demand, the Shiites will have difficulty forming a government without al-Sudani .”
According to the report, Iranian-backed politicians sought to obtain important positions in previous governments in order to “strengthen their influence and access Iraq’s resources to enrich themselves, their militias, and Iran .”
The report concluded by calling on the United States to define clear consequences to ensure that there is no place for “Tehran’s proxies” in the Iraqi government, adding that their presence in the government means “the Trump administration will have little chance of disarming the militias .”
The report concluded that Washington must also convey to officials in Baghdad the message that negotiations to form a government should not include financial or economic gains for Iran or its partners as “compensation” for complying with the American embargo .
According to the report, the Sudanese were assigned to the premiership in 2022, partly because of his willingness to establish a company affiliated with Iranian-backed militias to receive government contracts, referring to “Al-Muhandis Company,” noting that the United States, through the Treasury Department, has since imposed sanctions on this company .
He added that Washington must now use its influence to ensure that the negotiations do not lead to further economic agreements like these .
shafaq.com
