"Stopping the genocide carried out by the Israeli occupation against the people of Gaza is an important legal and humanitarian responsibility for all Muslims and free people of the world,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said.
Iraq’s presidency is not the central power in Iraq. It is largely a ceremonial role, and it has been held by Kurdish politicians since 2003. As such the phone call is more symbolic of Iran’s messaging, than having any real weight in Iraq’s policies.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq target Israel
Iraq’s Prime Minister, who is more powerful, is also closely tied to Iran and has let Iranian-backed militias in Iraq target Israel and US forces. Iran uses Iraq as a kind of “near abroad,” a country that it exploits for its regional policies. Iran has also carried out attacks on the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
US forces are based in Erbil in the Kurdistan region, and the US has forces in other places in Iraq. READ MORE
