Ghost of renewed war between Washington and Tehran looms over the region
Warnings about Iraq being at the center of the US-Iran confrontation and its impact on its economic and security stability.
Translated by Qiyas from الوسط — Original source
Even as the Iraqi government adopted a stance of neutrality during the war that erupted in late February between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other, the negative security and economic repercussions of the conflict have severely impacted the country, particularly due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the decline in oil exports, alongside the involvement of Iran-aligned armed factions in the fighting and their launching of hundreds of attacks on targets inside and outside Iraq.
With the prospect of renewed hostilities, these same fears and repercussions remain strongly present in Iraqi public and political discourse.
Khaled Al-Yaqoobi, spokesperson for the Presidency of the Republic, warned in media statements that “any new confrontation between the United States and Iran would place Iraq at the center of events, given the difficulty of keeping the country neutral from the war.”
Compounded by a deepening dollar crisis driven by a soaring parallel exchange rate and sharp increases in the prices of basic commodities, any new security disturbances in the region and a resumption of the US-Iran conflict would exacerbate the situation and expose the country to a high level of risk, according to informed sources.
Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat about “genuine concerns surrounding political forces, particularly those within the Coordinating Framework, due to market instability, let alone if war breaks out again.” They emphasized that “there is fear of internal unrest erupting, especially given public calls for protest demonstrations following the dollar crisis and rising prices. While political forces and the government may be able to manage this initially, it could become impossible to handle later, particularly if war breaks out.”
Abu Alaa Al-Wilayati, Secretary-General of the Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and a prominent figure in the Coordinating Framework, revealed last week that there are real concerns within the Framework’s forces about the potential for renewed and intensified protest demonstrations in Iraq.
Sources indicate that “current conditions in the country are not conducive to formulating alternative plans, but there are efforts to persuade factions to maintain calm even if war breaks out against Iran. There are also initiatives to increase oil exports via routes other than the Strait of Hormuz.”
Prime Minister Faleh Al-Iyad visited the Ministry of Oil headquarters in Baghdad, stressing “the necessity of continuing work with diligence and high responsibility to achieve the planned objectives regarding increasing oil production capacity,” according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.
He also emphasized “the need to increase oil revenues, noting that the government will take a series of important measures and steps in this regard, especially since Iraq is among the countries affected by the events unfolding in the region.”
