[rtl]Iran 's spies in Iraq, some heads of government and parliament[/rtl]
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[rtl]Follow / tomorrow[/rtl]
[rtl]The New York Times revealed secret Iranian intelligence documents showing Tehran's influence and influence on Iraqi governments and what it called "Iraqi agents" working for Iran.[/rtl]
[rtl]According to the newspaper that in mid-October last, and with the escalation of unrest in Baghdad, a familiar visitor quietly came to the Iraqi capital. The city has been under siege for weeks, as protesters marched through the streets, demanding an end to corruption and calling for the overthrow of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, in particular, denouncing the huge influence of their neighbor Iran in Iraqi politics, burning Iranian flags and attacking the Iranian consulate.[/rtl]
[rtl]Permanent visitor .. Soleimani and the demonstrations of Iraqis[/rtl]
[rtl]The visitor was there to restore order, but his presence highlighted the biggest grievances of the demonstrators: Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran's powerful Quds Force, came to persuade an ally in the Iraqi parliament to help the Iraqi prime minister hold on to the premiership.[/rtl]
[rtl]This was not the first time General Suleimani was sent to Baghdad to monitor the damage. Tehran's efforts to support Abdul Mahdi are part of its long campaign to preserve Iraq as a gentle client state.[/rtl]
[rtl]The leaked Iranian documents now provide a detailed picture of the extent to which Tehran is aggressively interfering in Iraqi affairs and the unique role of General Soleimani.[/rtl]
[rtl]The documents are contained in an archive of Iran's secret intelligence cables obtained by The Intercept and shared with The New York Times on this report, which is published simultaneously by both news organizations.[/rtl]
[rtl]The unprecedented diversion reveals Tehran's tremendous influence in Iraq, detailing years of hard work by Iranian spies to choose the country's leaders, paying the salaries of Iraqi proxies working for the Americans to change their positions and infiltrate every aspect of Iraq's political, economic and religious life. .[/rtl]
[rtl]Many telegrams describe how meetings are arranged in dark alleys, shopping malls or under the cover of a hunting trip or a birthday party.[/rtl]
[rtl]Detectives lurk at Baghdad airport, take pictures of US soldiers and place tabs on coalition military flights. Clients lead winding roads to meetings to evade surveillance.[/rtl]
[rtl]Iranian bribes to Iraqi officials[/rtl]
[rtl]Bribes are being offered to Iraqi officials, if necessary. The archive contains expense reports from intelligence officers in Iraq, including a report totaling 87.5 euros spent on gifts for a Kurdish commander.[/rtl]
[rtl]According to one leaked Iranian intelligence cable, Abdul Mahdi, who worked closely in exile with Iran while Saddam Hussein was in power in Iraq, had a "special relationship" with the Islamic Republic of Iran when he was oil minister in 2014. The exact nature of that The relationship is not detailed in the telegram, and as a former senior US official warned, "a special relationship can mean a lot of things - that doesn't mean he's an agent of an Iranian government company."[/rtl]
[rtl]But no Iraqi politician can become prime minister without Iran's blessing, and when he became prime minister in 2018, Abdul Mahdi was seen as a compromise candidate acceptable to both Iran and the United States.[/rtl]
[rtl]The leaked cables provide an extraordinary glimpse into the Iranian secret regime. They also detail the extent to which Iraq has fallen under Iranian influence since the US invasion in 2003, which has turned Iraq into a gateway to Iranian power, linking the geography of the Islamic Republic to domination from the shores of the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean.[/rtl]
[rtl]The leaked Iranian intelligence reports largely confirm what was already known about Iran's strong grip on Iraqi politics. But far more than previously known reports reveal the extent to which Iran and the United States are using Iraq as a launching pad for spy games. They also highlighted the complex domestic policy of the Iranian government, where rival factions are grappling with many of the same challenges faced by US occupation forces as they struggle to stabilize Iraq after the US invasion.[/rtl]
[rtl]Iran surpassed America[/rtl]
[rtl]The documents show how, at almost every turn, Iran has outperformed the United States in the competition for influence.[/rtl]
[rtl]The archive consists of hundreds of reports and telegrams written mainly in 2014 and 2015 by officers of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security, or the Ministry of Interior, who were working in the field in Iraq.[/rtl]
[rtl]The Ministry of Intelligence, the Iranian version of the CIA, has a reputation as an analytical and professional agency, but has been overwhelmed and often overturned by its ideological counterpart, the IRGC Intelligence Organization, which was formally established as an independent entity in 2009 by order of the Iranian leader. Supreme Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.[/rtl]
[rtl]In Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, which Iran considers crucial to its national security, the Revolutionary Guards - particularly the elite Qods Force led by General Soleimani - determine Iran's policies. The ambassadors of these countries are appointed to the highest ranks of the Revolutionary Guards, not the Foreign Ministry, which oversees the Ministry of Intelligence, according to several advisers to current and former Iranian administrations.[/rtl]
[rtl]The sources said that officers from the Ministry of Intelligence and the Revolutionary Guards in Iraq worked in parallel with each other. They reported their findings to their headquarters in Tehran, which he organized in reports to the Supreme National Security Council.[/rtl]
[rtl]Recruiting Iraqi officials was an essential part of their work, and facilitated the alliances that many Iraqi leaders established with Iran when they belonged to opposition groups fighting Saddam Hussein. Several senior political, military, and security officials in Iraq have established secret relations with Tehran, according to the documents.[/rtl]
[rtl]The same 2014 telegram describing Abdul Mahdi's "special relationship" also stated that many other key members of the former cabinet, Haider al-Abadi, had close ties with Iran.[/rtl]
[rtl]Iran has focused on appointing high-ranking officials in Iraq, political analyst and adviser on Iraq, Guess Greshi, said. "We have a large number of allies among the Iraqi leaders who can trust our eyes closed," he said.[/rtl]
[rtl]Three Iranian officials were asked to comment on this article in queries describing the existence of cables and leaked reports. Ali Reza Mirosfi, spokesman for the UN mission in Iran, said he was away until later this month.[/rtl]
[rtl]Majid Takht Ravanshi, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, did not respond to a written request handed over to his official residence. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif did not respond to an e-mail request.[/rtl]
[rtl]When contacted by telephone, Hassan Daniyevar, Iran's ambassador to Iraq from 2010 to 2017 and former deputy commander of the naval forces of the Revolutionary Guards, refused to directly address the existence or release of the cables, but noted that Iran had the upper hand in gathering information in Iraq. "Yes, we have a lot of information from Iraq on various issues, especially about what America was doing there."[/rtl]
[rtl]And he said. There is a wide gap between reality and perception of US actions in Iraq. I have a lot of stories to tell. "He declined to clarify.[/rtl]
[rtl]Spy in the Iraqi Foreign Ministry[/rtl]
[rtl]According to reports, after the withdrawal of US forces in 2011, Iran moved quickly to add former CIA informants to salaries. An undated section of the Intelligence Ministry's cable shows that Iran has begun recruiting a spy inside the State Department. It is unclear what brought the recruitment effort.[/rtl]
[rtl]But according to the files, Iran began to interview the source and offered to reward potential pay with salary, gold coins and other gifts. The State Department official is not named in the telegram, but the person is described as a person capable of providing "intelligence insights on the US government's plans in Iraq, whether to deal with ISIS or any other covert operations."[/rtl]
[rtl]"It will be a catalyst for financial cooperation," the report said. The State Department declined to comment.[/rtl]
[rtl]In interviews, Iranian officials acknowledged that Iran considers monitoring US activity in Iraq after the US invasion is crucial to its survival and national security. When US forces toppled Saddam Hussein, Iran quickly transferred some of its best officers from both the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC intelligence organization to Iraq.[/rtl]
[rtl]According to advisers to the Iranian government and a person belonging to the Guard. President George W. Bush has declared Iran part of an "axis of evil" and Iranian leaders believe Tehran will be at the top of Washington's list of capitals for regime change after Kabul and Baghdad.[/rtl]
[rtl]Across the world, governments have had to deal with occasional leakage of confidential data or emails as a fact of modern life. This is not the case in Iran, where information is tightly censored and security services are widely feared.[/rtl]
[rtl]Nearly 700 pages of anonymous leaks were sent to The Intercept, which was translated from Farsi into English and shared with The New York Times. Intercept and The Times validate documents but don't know who leaked them. Encrypted channels were communicated with the source, who refused to meet a reporter. In these anonymous messages, the source said they wanted to "inform the world of what Iran is doing in my country, Iraq."[/rtl]
[rtl]Like the internal communications of any spy service, some reports contain preliminary intelligence that is questionable, while others appear to represent the views of intelligence officers and sources with their own agendas.[/rtl]
[rtl]Some cables show uncertainty, such as those describing Iranian spies who broke into a German cultural institute in Iraq only to find that they had the wrong symbols and could not open the vaults. The other officers were beaten by their superiors in Tehran because of laziness, and to return them to headquarters reports that were based solely on news.[/rtl]
[rtl]But by and large, the agents of the Ministry of Intelligence depicted in the documents appear to be patient, professional and practical. Their main tasks are to prevent Iraq from collapsing. From the proliferation of Sunni insurgents on the Iranian border; from descending into sectarian warfare that may make Shiite Muslims targets of violence; The IRGC and General Soleimani also worked to eliminate ISIS, but with a greater focus on preserving Iraq as an Iranian state and making sure that pro-Tehran political factions remain in power.[/rtl]
[rtl]This is the most striking picture at a time of rising tensions between the United States and Iran. Since 2018, when President Trump withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions, the White House rushed ships to the Persian Gulf and reviewed military plans for war with Iran. In October, the Trump administration promised to send US troops to Saudi Arabia following attacks on oil facilities there that were widely blamed on Iran.[/rtl]
[rtl]Iranian presence in the south[/rtl]
[rtl]With shared doctrine and tribal affiliations that span cross-porous borders, Iran has long been a major presence in southern Iraq. Religious offices have been opened in Iraq's holy cities and posters of Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini have been posted on its streets. It supports some of the most powerful political parties in the south, sends Iranian students to study at Iraqi seminars and sends Iranian construction workers to build Iraqi hotels and renovate Iraqi shrines.[/rtl]
[rtl]But while Iran may have defeated the United States in the competition for influence in Baghdad, it has struggled to gain popular support in southern Iraq. Now, as the last six weeks of protests have made clear, they face an unexpectedly strong decline. Across the south, Iranian-backed Iraqi political parties are witnessing the burning of their headquarters and the assassination of their leaders, an indication that Iran may have underestimated Iraq's desire for independence, not only from the United States but also from its neighbor.[/rtl]
[rtl]Iran's rise as a powerful player in Iraq was in many ways a direct result of Washington's lack of any post-invasion plan. The first years after Saddam's fall were chaotic, both in terms of security and the lack of basic services such as water and electricity. For most observers on the ground, it seemed as if the United States was determining policy on the go, in the dark.[/rtl]
[rtl]Among the most disastrous US policies were decisions to dismantle the Iraqi armed forces and purge the government or the new armed forces of any Iraqi who was a member of Saddam's ruling Baath Party. This process, known as de-Baathification, automatically marginalizes most Sunni men. Unemployed and resentful, they formed a violent insurgency targeting Americans and Shiites who are allies of the United States.[/rtl]
[rtl]With the outbreak of sectarian war between Sunnis and Shiites, the Shiite population viewed Iran as a garrison. When ISIS seized territory and cities, Shiite weakness and the failure of the United States to protect them supported the efforts of the Revolutionary Guards and General Soleimani to recruit and mobilize pro-Iranian Shiite militias.[/rtl]
[rtl]According to Intelligence Department documents, Iran continued to take advantage of the opportunities the United States had given it in Iraq. Iran, for example, has reaped a large body of intelligence on US secrets as the American presence began to decline after the withdrawal of US troops in 2011.[/rtl]
[rtl]The CIA has long expelled many of its secret agents in the streets, leaving them unemployed and destitute in a country still shattered by the invasion - and feared being killed because of their links to the United States, and possibly by Iran. Because of the shortage of funds, many began to provide their services to Tehran. They were happy to tell the Iranians all they knew about CIA operations in Iraq.[/rtl]
[rtl]An Iraqi CIA spy turns to Iran[/rtl]
[rtl]In November 2014, one of them, an Iraqi who had spied for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), broke up and feared that his relations with the Americans would cost him his life. According to the telegram, the CIA had identified the man as Donnie Brasco. He was contacted by his Iranian handler, simply "Source 134992."[/rtl]
[rtl]Turning to Iran for protection, he said all he knew about gathering US intelligence in Iraq was for sale: CIA safe house sites; names of hotels where CIA agents met clients; details of his weapons and surveillance training; names of other Iraqis working As spies for Americans.[/rtl]
[rtl]The source told 134,992 Iranian agents that he had worked for the agency for 18 months starting in 2008, in a program targeting al Qaeda. He said he was paid well for his work - $ 3,000 a month, plus a one-time bonus of $ 20,000 and a car.[/rtl]
[rtl]But he swore on the Koran, promised to end the days of espionage for the United States, and agreed to write a full report to the Iranians about everything he knew of his time with the CIA[/rtl]
[rtl]"I will forward to you all the documents and videos I have from the course," the Iraqi man told his Iranian therapist, according to an Iranian intelligence report released in 2014. "The photos will identify the profiles of my fellow trainees and subordinates."[/rtl]
[rtl]The CIA declined to comment.[/rtl]
[rtl]Iranian spies everywhere[/rtl]
[rtl]Iraqi officials say Iranian spies are everywhere in the south, and the area has long been a beehive for spying. There, in Karbala in late 2014, an Iraqi military intelligence officer from Baghdad met with an Iranian intelligence official and offered to spy for Iran - and to tell the Iranians everything he could about US activities in Iraq.[/rtl]
[rtl]The Iraqi official told the Iranian officer, according to one of the cables, "Iran is my second country and I love it." In a meeting that lasted more than three hours, al-Iraqi told about his devotion to the Iranian regime, where the clerics rule directly, and his admiration for Iranian films.[/rtl]
[rtl]He said he came with a message from his boss in Baghdad, Major General Hatem al-Maksousi, then the head of military intelligence at the Iraqi Defense Ministry: "Tell them we're at your service. All you need is at their disposal.[/rtl]
[rtl]"All the intelligence of the Iraqi army - I consider it for you," said the messenger of Maj. Gen. Maksousi. He told the Iranian intelligence officer about the secret US targeting program for the Iraqis and offered to hand him over to the Iranians. "If you have a new laptop, give it to me so I can download it," he said.[/rtl]
[rtl]He said there was more. The United States has also granted Iraq a highly sensitive system for eavesdropping on mobile phones, which ran out of the prime minister's office and the headquarters of Iraqi military intelligence. "I will put at your disposal any intelligence that you want," he said.[/rtl]
[rtl]In an interview, Gen. Maksousi, now retired, disagreed, saying the things he had attributed to him in the cables and denied his work in Iran. He praised Iran for its help in the fight against ISIS, but said it had maintained a close relationship with the United States. "I have worked for Iraq and I have not worked in any other country," he said. "I was not the director of intelligence for the Shiites, but I was the director of intelligence for all of Iraq."[/rtl]
[rtl]When asked about the cable, a former US official said that the United States became aware of the Iraqi military intelligence officer's relations with Iran and limited his access to sensitive information.[/rtl]
[rtl]American candidate[/rtl]
[rtl]By late 2014, the United States was once again pouring weapons and soldiers into Iraq when it began fighting the Islamic State. Iran also had an interest in defeating the militants. When ISIS took control of the west and north, young Iraqis traveled through deserts and southern swamps by bus, heading to Iran for military training.[/rtl]
[rtl]Some within the US and Iranian governments believed that the two adversaries should coordinate their efforts against a common enemy. But Iran, as leaked cables make clear, also viewed the growing US presence as a threat and a "cover" to gather intelligence on Iran.[/rtl]
[rtl]"What is happening in the sky over Iraq shows the enormous level of coalition activity," one Iranian officer wrote. "The danger posed by its activity must be taken seriously by the Islamic Republic of Iran."[/rtl]
[rtl]Maliki is a favorite of Iran[/rtl]
[rtl]The rise of ISIS at the same time was driving a wedge between the Obama administration and a large group of Iraqi political class. Mr Obama has pushed for the overthrow of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as a condition for renewed US military support. He believes that Mr. Maliki's brutal policies and crackdowns on Iraqi Sunnis have helped the rise of militants.[/rtl]
[rtl]Maliki, who lived in exile in Iran in the 1980s, was a favorite of Tehran. His replacement, Haider al-Abadi, who was educated in Britain, was seen as more friendly to the West and less sectarian. Faced with the uncertainty of a new prime minister, then-Iranian ambassador Hassan Danyevar called for a secret meeting of senior officials at the Iranian embassy, a huge fortified building outside Baghdad's Green Zone.[/rtl]
[rtl]As the meeting progressed, it became clear that the Iranians had no reason to worry about the new Iraqi government. Mr Abadi was dismissed as a "British man" and a "candidate for the Americans," but the Iranians thought they had many other ministers in their pocket.[/rtl]
[rtl]One by one, Danyar listed the members of the government, describing their relations with Iran.[/rtl]
[rtl]Ibrahim al-Jaafari - a former Iraqi prime minister and by late 2014 a foreign minister - was identified, like Mr. Mahdi, as having a "special relationship" with Iran. In an interview, Mr. Jaafari did not deny that he had close relations with Iran, but said he had always dealt with foreign countries based on Iraq's interests.[/rtl]
[rtl]Iran relied on the loyalty of many lower cabinet members.[/rtl]
[rtl]Municipalities, communications and human rights ministers are "in perfect harmony and one with us and our people," the report said. "He works with us, although he is Sunni," the environment minister said. Bayan Jabr, who was leading the Iraqi Interior Ministry at a time when hundreds of prisoners were tortured to death by electric training or shot at them briefly by Shiite death squads - "very close" to Iran. When it comes to Iraq's education minister, the report says, "We will have no problem with him."[/rtl]
[rtl]All former ministers of municipalities, communications and human rights were members of the Badr Organization, a political and military group that Iran founded in the 1980s to oppose Saddam Hussein. The former minister of municipalities denied having a close relationship with Iran. The former Minister of Human Rights acknowledged his closeness to Iran, and praised Iran for assisting Shiite Iraqis during Mr. Hussein's dictatorship, and for helping defeat the Islamic State. The former communications minister said he served Iraq, not Iran, and that he maintained relations with diplomats from many countries; the former education minister said he was not supported by Iran and that he served at the request of Prime Minister Abadi. The former Minister of Environment cannot be reached for comment.[/rtl]
[rtl]Fall 2014[/rtl]
[rtl]Iran's dominance of Iraqi politics is evident in one important episode in the fall of 2014, when Baghdad was a city at the heart of a multinational spiral. The Syrian civil war was raging in the West, with ISIS fighters taking about a third of Iraq and US troops heading to the region to confront the worsening crisis.[/rtl]
[rtl]Against this chaotic background, Mr. Jabr, then the Minister of Transport, welcomed General Suleimani, the Qods Force commander, to his office. General Suleimani had asked in his favor that Iran needed access to Iraqi airspace to transport aircraft loaded with weapons and other supplies to support the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad in his battle against US-backed insurgents.[/rtl]
[rtl]It was a request to place Mr. Jabr at the center of the long rivalry between the United States and Iran. Obama administration officials have been pressing hard to persuade Iraqis to stop Iranian flights through their airspace, but Iraq's transport minister has found face to face that it is impossible to refuse.[/rtl]
[rtl]He said General Suleimani "came to me and asked that we allow Iranian aircraft to use Iraqi airspace to pass to Syria," according to one of the cables. The Minister of Transport did not hesitate, and General Soleimani seemed happy. "I put my hands on my eyes and I said," on my eyes! Mr. Jabr told the Ministry of Intelligence officer. "Then he got up and approached me and kissed my forehead."[/rtl]
[rtl]Mr. Jabr confirmed the meeting with General Soleimani, but said flights from Iran to Syria carry humanitarian supplies and religious pilgrims traveling to Syria to visit holy sites, not weapons and military supplies to help Mr. Assad, as US officials believe.[/rtl]
[rtl]Meanwhile, Iraqi officials known for their relations with the United States have been subjected to special scrutiny, and Iran has taken measures to counter US influence. Indeed, many files show that while senior US diplomats met behind closed doors with their Iraqi counterparts in Baghdad, their talks were routinely sent to the Iranians.[/rtl]
[rtl]Salim al-Jubouri and Iran[/rtl]
[rtl]During 2014 and 2015, when the new Iraqi government stabilized, US Ambassador Stuart Jones met frequently with Salim al-Jubouri, who was speaker of the Iraqi parliament until last year. Mr. Jubouri, despite being a Sunni, was known for a close relationship with Iran, but the files now reveal that one of his senior political advisers - known as Source 134832 - was an asset of Iranian intelligence. The source said to his Iranian treatment: "I lecture in his office on a daily basis and followed his contacts carefully with the Americans." Mr. Jubouri, in an interview, said that he did not believe that anyone in his staff was acting as an agent of Iran, and that he fully trusted his aides. (Mr. Jones declined to comment.)[/rtl]
[rtl]The source urged the Iranians to develop closer ties with Mr. Jubouri, to hinder US efforts to nurture a new class of young Sunni leaders in Iraq and perhaps to achieve reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites. The source warned that Iran must act to prevent the speaker from "slipping into a pro-American position, because one of the characteristics of Salem al-Jubouri is credibility and hasty decisions."[/rtl]
[rtl]Another report reveals that Nechirvan Barzani, the prime minister of Kurdistan, met with senior US and British officials and Mr. Abadi, the Iraqi prime minister, in Baghdad in December 2014, and then went immediately to meet with an Iranian official to tell him everything. Through a spokesman, Mr. Barzani said he did not remember the meeting with any Iranian officials at the time, describing the cable as "baseless and unfounded". He said he "totally denies" telling the Iranians the details of his talks with the Americans and British. Diplomats.[/rtl]
[rtl]At times, the Iranians also saw commercial value in the information they received from their Iraqi sources.[/rtl]
[rtl]The United States is interested in reaching a rich natural gas field in Crutch near the Iraqi border with Syria, according to a report from al-Jubouri's adviser. The source said that Americans may eventually try to export natural gas to Europe, a major market for Russian natural gas. "It is recommended that the above information be used in exchange with the Russians and Syria," Intrigued, an intelligence ministry officer, wrote in a telegram to Tehran. The telegram was written as Russia was dramatically stepping up its engagement in Syria, and while Iran continued its military buildup there, in support of President Assad.[/rtl]
[rtl]Abadi has secret relations with Iranian intelligence[/rtl]
[rtl]Although Iran initially doubted Mr. Abadi's loyalties, a report written a few months after he came to the premiership indicated that he was fully prepared to establish a secret relationship with Iranian intelligence. A January 2015 report details a private meeting between Abadi and an intelligence ministry officer, known as Boroujerdi, held in the prime minister's office "without a secretary or third person."[/rtl]
[rtl]During the meeting, Boroujerdi met about the Sunni-Shiite divide in Iraq, in search of Mr. Abadi's feelings on the most sensitive subject in Iraqi politics. "Today, Sunnis find themselves in the worst possible circumstances and have lost their confidence," the intelligence officer said, according to the cable. "Sunnis are homeless, their cities are ruined and an uncertain future awaits them, while the Shiites can regain their self-confidence."[/rtl]
[rtl]Boroujerdi continued the Shiites in Iraq "at a historic turning point." The Iraqi government and Iran can "take advantage of this situation."[/rtl]
[rtl]According to the telegram, the prime minister expressed his "full agreement". Mr Abadi declined to comment.[/rtl]
[rtl]We must consider reducing violence against innocent Sunnis in Iraq and limiting Mr. Soleimani's measures. Otherwise, violence and conflict between Shiites and Sunnis will continue. For now, any action against the Sunnis will be blamed on Iran, whether Iran has a direct or indirect role, or nothing at all.[/rtl]
[rtl]Since the start of the Iraq war in 2003, Iran has advanced itself as the protector of the Shiites in Iraq, and General Soleimani, more than anyone else, has used the dark arts of espionage and covert military action to ensure that Shiite power remains on the rise. But this came at the expense of stability, with Sunnis permanently deprived of their rights and looking to other groups, such as the Islamic State, to protect them.[/rtl]
[rtl]The 2014 massacre in the agricultural community of Jurf al-Sakhr was a clear example of the kinds of sectarian atrocities committed by armed groups loyal to the Iranian Qods Force that have upset the United States throughout the Iraq war and undermined reconciliation efforts. As field reports show, Iran's intelligence ministry has shared some US concerns. This points to divisions within Iran over its policies in Iraq between more moderate elements under President Hassan Rouhani and armed factions such as the Revolutionary Guards.[/rtl]
[rtl]The cliff, located just east of Fallujah in the Euphrates River valley, is rich in orange trees and palm groves. They were invaded by ISIS in 2014, giving fighters a foothold from which to launch attacks on the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf.[/rtl]
[rtl]The rock cliff is also important for Iran because it lies on a route used by Shiite religious pilgrims to travel to Karbala during Muharram, a month-long celebration of the death of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hussein, a respected Shia figure.[/rtl]
[rtl]When Iranian-backed Shiite militias expelled militants from Jurf al-Sakhr in late 2014, the first major victory over the Islamic State, it became a ghost town. It is no longer a threat to the thousands of Shiite pilgrims going through it, but the Iranian victory came at a high cost to the city's Sunni population. Tens of thousands were displaced, and a local politician, the only Sunni member of the provincial council, was found shot in the head.[/rtl]
[rtl]One telegram describes the damage in almost biblical terms. “As a result of these operations,” the author says, “the area around Jurf al-Sakher has been cleared of terrorist operatives. Their families have been displaced, military forces have destroyed most of their homes and the rest will be destroyed. People 's cattle (cattle and sheep) were scattered and grazed without their owners. "[/rtl]
[rtl]Operation Cliff of the Rock and other bloody actions led by Iranian proxies and directed from Tehran increased the isolation of Iraq's Sunni population, according to one report, which notes that "the destruction of villages and homes and the looting of Sunni property and livestock have turned the sweetness of these successes" against the Islamic State into "bitterness." ". One cable in Jurf al-Sakhr casts the influence of Shia militias in particularly stringent terms: "In all areas where the Popular Mobilization Forces enter, Sunnis are fleeing, abandoning their homes and property, preferring to live in tents as refugees or camp residents."[/rtl]
[rtl]The Ministry of Intelligence feared that Iran's gains in Iraq would be squandered because Iraqis hated Shiite militias and the Qods Force that sponsored them. Above all, its officers blamed General Suleimani, who saw him as a dangerous catalyst who used the anti-IS campaign as a springboard for a political career back home in Iran. One report, which states above that he will not be shared with the Quds Force, criticizes the general for his personal role in the military campaign in Iraq by "posting pictures of himself on various social media sites."[/rtl]
[rtl]Doing so made it clear that Iran controls the appalling Shiite militias - a potential gift to its adversaries. The report said: "This Iranian policy in Iraq" allowed the Americans to return to Iraq with greater legitimacy. The groups and individuals who were fighting against the Americans among the Sunnis now hope that America alone, not even Israel, will enter Iraq and save Iraq from the clutches of Iran.[/rtl]
[rtl]Iranian soft power[/rtl]
[rtl]At times, the Iranians have sought to counter the bad will of their presence in Iraq with soft power campaigns that resemble American battlefield efforts to win "hearts and minds." Hoping to gain "the advantage of publicizing and restoring Iran's image among the people," Iran has developed a plan to send pediatricians and gynecologists to villages in northern Iraq to manage health services, according to one field report. However, it is not clear whether this initiative has been achieved.[/rtl]
[rtl]As often, Iran will use its leverage to close lucrative development deals. As Iraq relies on Iran for military support in the war against the Islamic State, one cable shows that the Qods Force is receiving oil and development contracts from Iraqi Kurds in exchange for weapons and other aid. In the south, Iran has been awarded contracts for sewage and water purification by paying a $ 16 million bribe to a member of parliament, according to another field report.[/rtl]
[rtl]Today, Iran is struggling to maintain its hegemony in Iraq, as the Americans did after the 2003 invasion. At the same time, Iraqi officials are increasingly concerned that provocation in Iraq from any side could trigger a war between the two rivals for hegemony in their homeland. Against this geopolitical background, Iraqis have long learned to take a pragmatic approach to the initiatives of Iran's spies - even Sunni Iraqis who view Iran as an enemy.[/rtl]
[rtl]"Not only does he not believe in Iran, but he does not believe that Iran may have positive intentions toward Iraq," an Iranian case officer wrote in late 2014, about an Iraqi intelligence recruiter he described as former Baathist work for him. Saddam Hussein and then the CIA "but he is a professional spy and understands the reality of Iran and Shiite in Iraq and will cooperate to save himself."[/rtl]
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» Setting the date for announcing the preliminary results of the population census
» Kurdish MP: Population census will affect all governorates financially
» Between Israeli accusations and Baghdad's position: Is Iraq heading towards an international confron
» Al-Sudani renews his directives on the necessity of completing service projects within the previousl
» Political movement calls on parliament to strike dens of corruption
» MP criticizes the Foreign Ministry's performance towards the Turkish occupation
» Parliamentary Economy Committee criticizes the government’s withdrawal of the Public-Private Partner
» Before the vote... Washington moves its agendas to prevent the approval of the personal status law
» Al-Maliki: The Zionist entity seeks to strike Iraq through its expansionist war
» MP identifies 3 black images of the American role in the Middle East
» Where is the Baghdad-Washington agreement? The Zionist entity provokes Iraq and threatens to bomb it
» Durable goods are an open option for citizens.. Planning indicates a high response to the population
» Parliamentary Legal: The regional government is trying to change the demographics of Kirkuk to regai
» Arrest warrant issued for Anbar Council member for involvement in corruption and terrorism cases
» Al-Sudani directs continued payment of wages to workers on a "daily wage" during the two days of the
» What is the relationship between the population census and the national development plan? Al-Sudani’
» Iraq's seaborne crude oil exports decline
» Will the population increase the number of representatives in Iraq?
» In cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund.. The first population census in Iraq in more
» Jordanian company completes strategic submersible pumps project in Iraq
» Rasool: The government is pursuing anyone involved in activities that threaten Iraq's security
» US military creates air bridge from Iraq to Syria
» Al-Sudani, Putin discuss Middle East issues amid unprecedented escalation of tension in the region
» Know the secrets of the Iraqi house.. Baghdad demands that Washington deter Israel
» On the second day of the curfew, Al-Sudani tours Baghdad and “meets citizens”
» Planning: Slums are counted as a fact in the population census
» Despite problems, Iraq and Turkey agree to increase trade exchange
» Iraqi regions detect drones.. and Washington informs Baghdad of "exhausting" its pressure on the ent
» Bitcoin breaks $97,000 barrier for the first time in its history
» A difference of more than two million people: Iraqi or international estimates? Who will prove the a
» In numbers.. UAE exports to Iraq grow significantly
» Problems with the lists and the minister’s travel.. Baghdad to send salaries to Kurdistan employees
» Al-Awadi: Iraq will demand a UN resolution under Chapter VII to immediately cease fire
» How will the census reflect on drawing the economic map of Iraq? An expert answers
» Al-Hakim and Al-Amiri at one table to discuss these files
» Government Advisor: Population Census is an Essential Tool for Building Effective Strategic Economic
» A legal expert explains the extent of the Security Council's response to the Zionist entity's compla
» MP: The remaining time of the government’s term may not allow for a ministerial change
» MP: Iraq has dealt a qualitative blow to international drug trafficking mafias
» During 2024.. Iraq achieves a record in fuel oil exports
» Calls to issue a parliamentary decision binding the government to cancel the agreements with Egypt a
» Central Bank of Iraq sales exceed $6 billion in a month
» Planning: Iraq will apply international standards in the general census in coordination with the Uni
» Trade: Government measures to ensure continued food flow during census days
» The Prime Minister stresses the importance of the collection sector within the system of providing e
» Iraq produces more than 6 million m3 of wastewater daily
» Prime Minister's Advisor: National development plans depend on census results
» Investment extends the grace period for Bismayah residents to enter through electronic gates
» Trade: The general population census will be a starting point for important economic transformations
» Al-Sudani confirms the government's determination to proceed with organizing tax collection in a fai
» Al-Sudani visits the headquarters of the Ministry of Planning
» The Ministry of Oil announces the resumption of work in the production line of the North Gas Company
» Christian discontent with 'alcohol ban': It opposes freedoms and causes financial losses
» Al-Mashhadani stresses the importance of the Russian role in supporting Iraq at the regional and int
» Iraqi government issues new decisions - Urgent
» Legal expert details the extent of the impact of the population census on the controversial Article
» Al-Mashhadani directs the preparation of reports on the performance of ministers, governors and head
» Minister of Labor: More than 4 million children covered by the social protection system
» Al-Sudani chairs emergency meeting of the Ministerial Council for National Security
» Directive from Al-Sudani regarding meter readers on a contract basis in electricity
» Iraq borrows $390 million from Japan to develop Basra refinery
» Iraq and the "Israel-Iran" War.. Serious Government Measures to Secure the Launching Areas of Attack
» Iraqi oil recovers and exceeds the $70 barrier
» Integrity Commission Recovers Corruption Convict From Egypt.. Who Is He?
» utube 11/18/24 MM&C IQD News Report - Contracts - Projects - Non Oil Revenue Streams - Activating
» North Gas announces resumption of production line (1000) after maintenance is completed