Factions and Iran are escalating against America in conjunction with an expected visit by Al-Sudani

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[size=52]Factions and Iran are escalating against America in conjunction with an expected visit by Al-Sudani to Washington[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad / Tamim Al-Hassan[/size]
[size=45]At a time when it is likely that Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani will travel to Washington, Iran and internal parties are escalating against the United States on the background of the third anniversary of the “airport incident.”[/size]
[size=45]This escalation reflects what has been going on within the coordination framework for more than a month, in terms of disagreements and division over the nature of the relationship with America and the reduction of Iranian influence.[/size]
[size=45]Yesterday evening, the government and the coordination framework shyly commemorated the killing of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of the Mobilization Forces, and the prominent Iranian general, Qassem Soleimani, in an American raid in 2020.[/size]
[size=45]During a ceremony held at the scene of the accident near Baghdad airport, no prominent official or leader in the coordination framework attended, except for the head of the crowd, Faleh al-Fayyad, and the leader of the Asa'ib, Qais al-Khazali.[/size]
[size=45]According to information received by Al-Mada, a dispute had preceded the day of the celebration, and Shiite parties had requested “to cancel the parades of the factions.”[/size]
[size=45]Platforms on Telegram affiliated with some organizations of the coordination framework criticized Shiite parties - which they did not name - for canceling a march towards Baghdad Airport.[/size]
[size=45]Those ceremonial platforms that were held on Monday evening on the airport road - which the factions called Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis Street - were considered as a "challenge" to the rejectionist parties.[/size]
[size=45]Some of the forces of the coordination framework were expecting that the day would turn into a public holiday, while the governorates were satisfied with a limited disruption of some departments.[/size]
[size=45]These parties previously criticized the government of Mustafa Al-Kadhimi last year, because it refused to give a vacation during the second anniversary of the incident, according to their claim.[/size]
[size=45]According to information from well-informed political sources, the dispute that occurred within the coordination framework over the celebration “is a series of continuous divisions since the beginning of the formation of the government over the relationship of the Shiite forces with the United States.”[/size]
[size=45]Some Shiite parties object to rapprochement with Washington and the upcoming visit of the prime minister to America.[/size]
[size=45]This division appeared in the case of the killing of US citizen Stephen Troll two months ago in Baghdad, where some Shiite parties hinted that the latter was an intelligence agent in an attempt to justify the incident.[/size]
[size=45]In addition to the confusion that prevailed in the position of the Shiite forces regarding the issue of US requirements on dollar transfers, and the consideration of some “framework” parties that what is happening is a punishment for Tehran.[/size]
[size=45]The volume of dollars smuggled per week from Iraq is estimated at between 100 and 250 million dollars, at least half of which goes to Iran and the rest to 3 neighboring countries.[/size]
[size=45]Meanwhile, Kata’ib Hezbollah threatened to take revenge on those it described as “enemies” for the killing of Al-Muhandis and Soleimani, and accused the United States, Saudi Arabia and Israel.[/size]
[size=45]The official website of the Brigades published a statement issued by the Secretary-General of the faction, Abu Hussein Al-Hamdawi (believed his real name is Ahmed Mohsen Faraj Al-Hamdawi), in which he said: “We say it, and let the friend hear it before the enemy, and whoever hears it is deaf: The price of the blood of the leaders of victory and their comrades is exorbitant and costly, and he will pay it enemies sooner or later.[/size]
[size=45]According to the statement, Al-Hamidawi addressed the Americans and the Saudi and Zionist entities, saying: “You must understand that this nation has risen up and learned its lesson well, and that your malicious methods will no longer benefit you to stay in the forefront.[/size]
[size=45]The Secretary-General of Kata’ib Hezbollah pointed out that “the union of the axis of resistance to confront the enemies (…) must continue, and it includes all fields. Rather, we are working to expand this alliance to include countries that have the same challenges that we face.”[/size]
[size=45]After the airport incident, the brigades accused former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi of “facilitating” the assassination while he was head of intelligence.[/size]
[size=45]The previous government had opened an investigation into the incident, while Parliament is still demanding, even before the end of last year, to obtain the results of the investigation.[/size]
[size=45]Although the framework is formed by the government, Shiite parties such as the Badr Organization - one of the most prominent parties to the framework - believe that the United States is preventing the results of the investigations from appearing.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Mada had previously quoted information from the Parliament's Security Committee that indicated that the government of Adel Abdul-Mahdi, during whose reign the incident took place, "knows of the American bombing."[/size]
[size=45]Haider al-Abadi, the former Prime Minister, confirmed this information and said in a television interview that "the planes that came to Iraq, and that struck the leaders (Soleimani and the engineer) at the airport (Baghdad International Airport), obtained Iraqi approval," stressing that what he says is true and everyone knows that. .[/size]
[size=45]And Western reports quoted US officials, who asked not to be identified, that the United States had been closely following “Soleimani’s movements for several days before the strike,” but they refused to mention how the army determined his location on the night of the attack.[/size]
[size=45]Iranian escalation[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, Tehran says that the number of those involved in the incident amounted to about 100, while the Revolutionary Guards threatened new strikes against the US forces.[/size]
[size=45]The Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Ali Reza Naqdi, confirmed, according to Iranian media, that the bombing of American bases can be repeated at any moment when the order is issued to avenge the blood of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.[/size]
[size=45]5 days after the airport incident (which took place on January 3, 2020), Tehran announced the bombing of the Ain Al-Assad base in western Iraq, targeting the US forces there.[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, the assistant to the head of the Iranian judiciary for international affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, said that among the “defendants are 94 Americans, led by former US President Donald Trump, his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and the commander of the US Central Command, General Kenneth McKenzie.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, according to what was reported by Iranian media, that "a joint committee was formed between the two judicial bodies in Iraq and Iran, and three rounds of meetings of this committee were held in Baghdad and Tehran."[/size]
[size=45]And between, "We agreed last week to hold the fourth round of the committee's meeting early next week," explaining: "In our estimation, with the fourth round of talks, the indictment will be completed."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Mithal Al-Alusi, the leader of the Umma Party, believes in an interview with (Al-Mada) that "the timing of the Iranians' talk about joint investigations with Iraq is not absurd, and that it contains messages to Washington."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Alusi added, "Iran is trying to obstruct any understandings between Iraq and the United States, especially with the imminent visit of Al-Sudani to Washington."[/size]
[size=45]And al-Alusi, a former deputy, said that Tehran "will carry out escalation operations against the United States and stir up crises in Iraq before al-Sudani's arrival in America."[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Ghazi Faisal, the director of the Iraqi Center for Strategic Studies, said in an interview with (Al-Mada) that "the Iranian regime and its institutions have failed to hold accountable those accused of the assassination, despite announcing the presence of dozens of those involved."[/size]
[size=45]Faisal questioned Tehran's ability to hold former US President Donald Trump accountable, "because at the time of the bombing he had immunity as the president of the United States."[/size]
[size=45]He added, "Washington accuses Soleimani of planning attacks against American interests, so it assassinated him, which is contrary to the Iranian point of view."[/size]
[size=45]The director of the Iraqi Center indicated that "parties in the Iraqi government are eager to hold America accountable for the assassination, and other parties want Iran to file complaints away from Iraq."[/size]
[size=45]And he continues, "But in the end, the issue of pursuing American officials remains just media propaganda and statements that are repeated on every anniversary of the accident."[/size]
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