Iran tightening its control over Iraq

Islam Mohamed

Realities behind Iran’s success in controlling some of the countries of the region become clear day after day.

This is especially true in the case of Iraq which shares an extended border of 1,458 kilometers with the Islamic Republic.

Iraq also shares many of Iran’s geographic, social and cultural features.

Iran has about 32,000 agents inside Iraq, who are on the payroll of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corpse, according to leaked documents from the Revolutionary Guard.

These agents include the commanders of Shiite militias, according to the documents which were aired by the news channel, al-Hurra.

Some of these commanders also have strong influence inside Iraqi state institutions, the channel said, quoting the documents.

The Popular Mobilization Forces contain the largest number of Iranian agents, even as it has joined the Iraqi army. The fact is that the forces have a mandate larger than this of the government and the regular Iraqi army.

Abu Mahdi al-Mohandiss, the commander of the Iraqi Hezbollah factions, who was killed on January 3, along with the commander of the Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani.

A large number of other Iraqi militia leaders are also on the payroll of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corpse, including the man who replaced al-Mohandiss.

The list also includes Mohamed Adeeb Mahdi al-Bayati, the former minister of human rights. This can explain why Iraqi institutions glossed over Iranian human rights violations in Iraq in the past period. Most of these violations targeted the Sunnis of Iraq.

The Popular Mobilization Forces are in for a tough time with the rise in protests by ordinary Iraqis against it. The demonstrators set some of the offices of the forces on fire, against the background of links between it and the Iranian regime.

Some leaked information showed in the past weeks the presence of links between incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdel Mahdi, and the Iranian government.

Abdel Mahdi had to submit his resignation under pressure from the demonstrators, but he is still in office until a new prime minister is elected.