Why Iran Doesn’t Want U.S. Forces Out of Iraq

Excerpt

In response to a Kataib Hezbollah attack Saturday on Ain Al-Asad Airbase that houses Iraqi and American troops, U.S. fighter jets on Wednesday bombed three facilities used by Iranian-backed militias in Jurf Al-Sakhr, destroying arms depots and training schools for missiles and explosive drones.

The militias have launched at least 130 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, since October, with the Biden administration responding a handful of times. America labels its responses “unilateral” to avoid embarrassing Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Al-Sudani, whose coalition relies on a pro-Iran parliamentary majority. Sudani could end U.S. presence in Iraq with a signature—but has yet to do so.

Why Sudani’s reluctance? The most plausible answer is that Iran itself fears U.S. sanctions on Iraq if Washington was ever forced to withdraw its troops. Iran—whose economy suffers immensely under heavy American sanctions—relies on three lifelines: oil exports to China in spite of U.S. sanctions, illicit trade (including narcotics and racketeering), and Iraq.

Hussain Abdul-Hussain is a research fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Twitter: @hahussain