Khomeini’s grandson in Najaf .. Is there a new Iranian plan against Iraq?

By: Ali Ragab

Ali Khomeini, the grandson of the founder of the Iranian regime, “Ruhollah Khomeini”, traveled to the city of Najaf, the stronghold of the religious estate and the residence of the Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani.

Iraq is currently witnessing a major crisis in the face of Iran’s efforts to secure the post of Prime Minister of Iraq. Where the “Build Coalition” led by the President of the coalition «El Fath» Hadi Amiri, and the head of the «State of Law» coalition, former Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, seeks to secure the position of the Iraqi prime minister in their favor; to ensure that Tehran fully control the Iraqi official decision.

On the other hand, Iraq is also witnessing a decline of the Iranian presence at the grassroots level, especially in the Shiite areas of Iraq. As the burning of the Iranian Consulate in Basra, and the demonstration of Iraqis there against the Iranian presence, confirms the existence of a crisis of confidence in the Iraqi street towards Iran.

Ali Khomeini, 33, left the Iranian Qom estate to go to the Najaf estate to continue his religious activity and teach in the Iraqi estate, the news agency Khabar Online reported.

“Ali Khomeini traveled to Najaf and may remain in this Iraqi city for several years, and we hope that the place is brighter for him ” said Mohammad Reza Naeini, a close cleric of Ali Khomeini.

Observers saw that the visit of the grandson of «Khomeini», at this time, refers to several indications, foremost of which is the existence of an Iranian plan aimed at controlling the post of «Supreme Shiite authority in Najaf», replacing the «Ali Sistani», long disappeared from the scene amid news about big health troubles.

A report by The Economist newspaper mentioned that Sistani’s refusal to recognize the legitimacy of the Wilayat al-Faqih, or the qualifications of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s current Supreme Leader, to be the main Shi’ite Muslim jurist has made the latter’s intention to control the succession of Sistani.

“The religious relationship between Iran and Iraq is rooted in history, and for long it has interacted with the political developments that are being made by geographical proximity, and the references have a central role in them,” said the Algerian researcher on the Iranian affairs, Yahya Bouzidi.

Buzidi added in a statement to El-Marga’a, that «the transfer of grandson of Khomeini to Najaf is interpreted in the context of the historical relations between the two cities, as mentioned above, but is not free at the same time of the political implications and dimensions, especially in the medium and long term.

Hisham al-Baqli, a researcher in Gulf and Iranian affairs at the Kuwait Regional Center for Political Studies, said: “Iran is seeking to control Iraq completely.