MONITOR: Congress is moving to strike Iraqi factions with new legislation and fears of the bakeries in a ministerial portfolio

In a report published on Tuesday, September 25, 2018, the US House of Representatives decided to impose new sanctions on three factions in the popular rally, including the Asaib Ahl al-Haq movement, which American politicians openly expressed their fear of getting On a ministerial portfolio, in the next government.

"Congress is trying, once again, to reduce Iran's influence in Iraq in a way that could expose the country's efforts to form a new government after the May 2018 legislative elections," the newspaper said in its report.

"The House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee is due to vote Thursday on bipartisan legislation that would hinder the assets of Iranians believed to pose a threat to violence in Iraq," the paper said.

"Senator David Perdue of California introduced a bill to punish Shiite militias backed by Iran," she said.

"I am proud to present this legislation and send a strong message that we will not tolerate the destabilizing efforts of the Iranian regime when it comes to the Iraqi government," the newspaper quoted Perdue as saying.

"The House of Representatives unanimously approved similar legislation earlier this year as an amendment to the Defense Authorization Bill, but it was dropped from Rep. Ted Bo, Texas, when the bill was merged with the Senate."

The newspaper quoted Bo, that "the amendment to the punishment of the people of the right and the movement of Hezbollah, two of the most Iranian-backed militias in Iraq caused the destruction, passed by the House of Representatives unanimously," as he put it, adding that "the removal of this text was a mistake, and encouraged these terrorist groups backed by Only Iran ".

The former Iraqi ambassador, Lukman Fayley, also said that "the Perdue bill in particular could complicate Baghdad's struggles to form a governing coalition."

"This will be seen as another example of the geopolitical increase in tension between the United States and its allies on the one hand and Iran and its supporters on the other," he said.

The House of Representatives had originally issued its version of the Pirdo law, a few weeks after the election of one of the target factions, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, 15 seats in the parliamentary elections held in Iraq last May. The group is part of the Fatah coalition, which came in second and is in talks to form a coalition government with a coalition of major forces led by Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.

The newspaper said that "the other target factions, the movement of Hezbollah, and Najibba, did not submit any of them any candidates."

"At least, Asaib Ahl al-Haq will get a ministry in the Iraqi government, not a major ministry like defense, interior and finance, none of them," Michael Knights, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said during the report. Is that the group will control a small ministry in the Iraqi government. "

"If they are implemented, such legislation will have consequences within our domestic policy as well, strengthen the polarization and push the parties and blocs to agree with or against these sanctions." Asaib Ahl al-Haq is now part of our democratic preparation, And therefore the impact will be visible and everyone to see and feel, even more if they participate as ministers in the next ministerial formation. "

Gates said he asked every Iraqi official he met during a June tour in Iraq about the wisdom of imposing sanctions on Asaib Ahl al-Haq and al-Khazali himself.

"They were worried about this possibility and less concerned about personally punishing Khazali and more concerned about sanctions on all members of his movement." They felt that this would lead the classification to Khazali if they were grouped together as terrorists.

Politicians, according to the paper, said that "many fighters did not participate in the wave of violence that targeted US soldiers after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 and joined the group recently in 2014 to fight Dahesh."

"The Trump administration has begun to step up pressure on Tehran agents throughout the Middle East as part of a tough strategy against Iran," the paper said.

"After two separate rocket attacks earlier this month - one at an airport in Basra, which hosts a US consulate, and the other in Baghdad's Green Zone, where the US embassy is located - the White House blamed Iran and its Iraqi militias, ", As she put it.

Asked about US plans to counter Iranian influence in Iraq, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was working to achieve a government that would form an Iraqi national government.

"We are working hard to make sure that the Iraqi people - the vote they gave during the elections - is the one who ends up driving."

The rocket attacks came after Reuters reported in August that "Tehran gave ballistic missiles to its Iraqi agents," citing Iranian, Iraqi and Western officials.

"The factions targeted by the Perdue bill are fighting alongside Iran in Syria on behalf of the Bashar al-Assad government," the paper concluded.


Article Credit: https://baghdadtoday.news
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