عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Iraqi PM to Deliver Iranian Messages During His Visit to White House

PM Sudani meets Brett McGurk, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, in New York on Friday. (Iraqi Prime Minister's press office)
PM Sudani meets Brett McGurk, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, in New York on Friday. (Iraqi Prime Minister's press office)
TT
TT

Iraqi PM to Deliver Iranian Messages During His Visit to White House

PM Sudani meets Brett McGurk, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, in New York on Friday. (Iraqi Prime Minister's press office)
PM Sudani meets Brett McGurk, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, in New York on Friday. (Iraqi Prime Minister's press office)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is “very excited” to visit the White House before the end of the year, officials close to the PM said on Friday.

Sudani met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in New York on Monday and received an invitation from US President Joe Biden to visit Washington. Iraq did not disclose the official date of the visit, although local media outlets said it is expected to happen before the end of 2023.

The PM’s close associates said the visit will “open the door wide for Iraq to the international community” given the Baghdad government’s isolation due to its close ties to Tehran.

Tehran, in turn, had exerted a lot of pressure on the Iraqi delegation in New York as soon as news of the invitation broke out.

Tehran won’t be the only one eager for Sudani to deliver its messages to Washington. The pro-Iran Shiite factions in Baghdad have a lot of questions and fears that need to be addressed.

Ultimately, Sudani will head to the White House with several issues raised by his allies, whom Washington disapproves of.

Iraqi officials who traveled with Sudani to New York met with the Iranian delegation that was attending the General Assembly. News of his visit to the White House overshadowed the talks with local media saying the “Iranians made a list of demands the PM should deliver to the Americans.”

Among their demands is removing American restrictions on Baghdad that are preventing it from paying financial dues to Tehran and reminding the Iraqis of the need to end American troop deployment in Iraq.

Sudani was not pleased with the way the Iranians approached him, saying the situation in Iraq “demanded a delicate approach.”

Members of the pro-Iran Coordination Framework told Asharq Al-Awsat that Sudani will be met with more pressure from Shiite factions once he returns to Baghdad as they too have their list of concerns and messages.

A leading member of the Framework said the political forces will show great support to Sudani before and during his visit to the White House because “they are in dire need of the Americans” given the dollar crisis Iraq is grappling with.

He noted, however, that not all Shiite factions will support the PM’s visit, especially the armed factions that are aligned with Iran. They will burden him with question related to the United States’ military plans regarding the border between Iraq and Syria and also over the freedom of American navigation in Iraqi skies.

In spite of the contradictions among the Shiite factions, no one wants the visit to be cancelled, rather they view it as an opportunity to remove the pressure the Baghdad government has been enduring for months and they will want to exploit it in Iran’s favor, even if it means undermining and “embarrassing” Sudani in the process.

It will be up to Sudani to strike a difficult balance between his government’s interests in the international community and between pressure from Iran and its allies. Most importantly, he will want to appear as a trustworthy man of state before the Americans, while still not making long-term commitments to them, said an Iraqi politician who works closely with the PM.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

Iraq's Kurdish Region Goes to the Polls With a Flagging Economy and Political Infighting Top of Mind

Employees of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) count votes at the end of the parliamentary election, at a polling station in Irbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)
Employees of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) count votes at the end of the parliamentary election, at a polling station in Irbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)
TT
TT

Iraq's Kurdish Region Goes to the Polls With a Flagging Economy and Political Infighting Top of Mind

Employees of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) count votes at the end of the parliamentary election, at a polling station in Irbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)
Employees of Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) count votes at the end of the parliamentary election, at a polling station in Irbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region, on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)

Residents of Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region went to the polls in long-awaited parliamentary elections Sunday under the shadow of ongoing rivalries, economic instability and unresolved disputes with Baghdad.
The primary competitors are the two dominant Kurdish parties: the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. The two have historically controlled different parts of the region, with the KDP overseeing the regional capital, Irbil, and Dohuk and the PUK governing Sulaymaniyah.
This division has frequently led to political deadlock. The parliamentary elections, originally set for 2022, were postponed several times amid disputes over the election law and procedures.
Ministry of Interior personnel and peshmerga forces — the regional military — voted in special elections Friday, with the general public voting Sunday.
In Friday’s special election, the KDP secured a significant lead, capturing 60% of the votes, while the PUK got around 30%. The New Generation Movement, an opposition party that has seen a gradual rise in support, garnered 5.3% of the total, up from 3% in the 2018 special election. In that special election, the KDP garnered 40% of the vote and the PUK 28.5%.
While New Generation’s appeal continues to grow, particularly among younger voters frustrated with the traditional political system, it still faces significant challenges in competing with the well-established dominance of the KDP and PUK.
Results of Sunday's vote were expected to be announced Monday.
At some polling centers, there were delays due to malfunctions in fingerprint scanners used for biometric verification of voters’ identities. In some cases, it was unclear if voters whose fingerprints could not be scanned would be able to vote at all.
At a center in Irbil's Ankawa district, resident Raman Ramzi said his wife and mother hadn't been able to vote due to fingerprint and ID recognition issues caused by the biometric machines. A number of other would-be voters left the station without casting a vote due to the same issue.
At another polling station in Irbil, coordinator Sirwan Gardi said that three to four percent of prospective voters' fingerprints were not being recognized by the devices, particularly older people and women.
Rizgar Maghdid, whose fingerprint was not recognized, said he felt sad because he could not vote. Voting “is an essential right of humans,” he said. “I would like to vote for the person who would serve us and our country.”
Regional government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, a KDP official, called on voters to “reward service and truthfulness and punish the parties that are playing with the rights and destiny of the people of Kurdistan," using the region's local name.
The region’s economic struggles are voters’ primary concern. Despite its oil wealth, the Kurdish region faces significant economic issues, including delayed payment of salaries to civil servants, fluctuating oil prices, and budget cuts from Baghdad. The public is deeply dissatisfied with the economy and lack of opportunities, and many blame political leaders for mismanagement.
“People want to have electricity and get paid their salary on time, and to have more jobs. This is all they want," said Ghazi Najib, who went to the polls in Irbil.
Corruption is also among the central issues in the election. For years, the regional government has faced allegations of nepotism and lack of transparency. Many voters, particularly among the younger generation, are calling for reforms to address these concerns.
Many voters, however, have lost hope for reforms and are also skeptical of opposition parties’ ability to make changes, given the longstanding hold the two major parties have over the political landscape.
Political cooperation with the central government is another key electoral issue. Relations between Irbil and Baghdad have remained tense since a 2017 referendum over independence for the Kurdish region, particularly over issues of oil revenue sharing and budget allocations.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani in a recent visit to Irbil said, “We are committed to ensuring the rights of the Kurdish people, but this must be done within Iraq’s constitution.”
In certain areas, the current elections are significantly influenced by security concerns since the ISIS group sleeper cells are still active in areas that are disputed between the regional and central governments.
“We hope that Kurdistan will be more developed, and to see more safety and reconstruction in Kurdistan,” said Jamila Mohammed Amin, a voter in Irbil. “All political parties and entities should work together and achieve these goals and protect it against enemies.”