Washington is preparing a “blacklist” and moving to dismantle Tehran’s influence in Baghdad.
David Des Roche, an associate professor at the Center for Near East and South Asian Security Studies and a former defense policy official in the US Secretary of Defense’s office, asserted that Washington views the recent “anti-corruption” campaign in Baghdad as a necessary step to dismantle “Iranian influence.”
Des Roche, who previously held sensitive positions in the Pentagon and the White House, said, “There are unannounced American expectations that political and security figures linked to Tehran should be removed from the Iraqi scene.” MiddleEast news
He added: “Washington has always considered rampant corruption, particularly Iranian-backed corruption, a real obstacle to establishing a close relationship between Iraq and the United States. Iraq is seen as a state with somewhat diminished sovereignty, given that Iranian-directed militias, funded by the Iraqi government, challenge the will of the state itself. Therefore, any move that shows a genuine desire to eradicate the corruption and violence rampant in the system would be very welcome in Washington.”
The American strategic expert warned of potential security repercussions that the affected parties might resort to in order to destabilize the Iraqi government.
He continued, saying: “There are concerns about instability within the Iraqi government as a result of this campaign. We have seen the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s playbook in Lebanon, where they resort to threatening the entire country with sliding into chaos if they feel that Iranian interests are threatened. This possibility exists in Iraq, but given the current level of confrontation between the United States and Iran, Washington sees this action as something that must be done, even if it is difficult and involves some pain.”
Des Roche added that the Trump administration is seriously looking to eradicate the “malign activities” of non-state actors linked to Iran, stressing that “after the gradual destruction of Lebanese Hezbollah, the various Iraqi militias are now the most powerful part of this Iranian system.”
Regarding the conditions and guarantees that Washington demands to prove the seriousness of this campaign, Des Roche revealed the view of American political and security circles: “I don’t think that the United States has specific figures and indicators, but it wouldn’t surprise me if there were a list of names of politicians and figures in the security services whom Washington believes do not serve Iraqi interests but rather Iranian interests. Washington would tell Baghdad: In order to be a credible government, you must at least not include these people in power, and better yet, deal with them through the judiciary.”
The American expert also pointed out that Washington is looking to reduce the influence of the factions under the umbrella of the “Popular Mobilization Forces” which operate as “proxies for Iran”.
Des Roche cited as an example the ongoing trial of Mohammed Baqir al-Saadi in New York, stressing that such figures are of great concern to the United States, and that any Iraqi action against them or their infrastructure would be a very welcome step in Washington.
On Sunday morning, Baghdad and several other provinces witnessed a large-scale arrest campaign targeting political officials, members of parliament, and businessmen. It was described as one of the largest anti-corruption operations in years, targeting networks accused of wasting public funds and smuggling billions of dollars, amid indications that the investigations may extend to include high-ranking figures in the state.
Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi confirmed during a cabinet meeting last night that the campaign represents a “first phase” within the anti-corruption file. While pledging to continue procedures to recover public funds, he tasked oversight bodies with receiving any indicators related to government performance or the performance of ministries, in order to uncover cases of corruption or negligence.
Earlier on Monday, Iraqi government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi confirmed that the government is continuing its fight against corruption and protecting public funds, noting that 21 people involved in Operation Dawn Charge had been arrested.
Shafaq.com