The Iraqis have had enough of the influence of Tehran

Karbala is the Shiite Holy city. It stands for the martyrdom of the prophet's grandson, Hussein, and, ultimately, for the struggle of the oppressed against the oppressors. Here, of all places, not far from the Golden domes of the shrines of Hussein and Abbas, have attacked in the night on Monday, angry protesters, the Iranian Consulate and the flag of the Shiite regime in Tehran by Iraqi replaced. They threw Molotov cocktails and chanting: "Karbala is free – Iran out, out!"

The symbolism is for the Iraqis to Hand in: demonstrate the predominantly Shia against the self-declared protection of the Shiites in Iraq and the massive influence that Iran exerts on the policy in the neighboring country.

The Supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has recently made it clear that he considers the protests the work of foreign incitement. The USA and Western intelligence services were for the riots, he said, and the money "reactionary States" – a cipher for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The two leading powers of the Sunni bloc in the Gulf are the main regional adversary of Iran.

Despite the oil billions, the infrastructure is abysmal

Actually, the protests are mainly against high unemployment and systemic corruption, which connects from the point of view of many of the protesters are inextricably linked to the political System. Political Offices are assigned to an informal system of Proportional representation to the various religious and ethnic groups.

politicians serve their clientele with Jobs in the civil service and other benefits. The majority of the citizens but is empty and does not suffer, moreover, including that the state provide basic services. Although Iraq occupies billion from the sale of Oil, breaks down in the summer, at temperatures of over 40 degrees regularly and the power supply under the load of the air conditioners.

In Basra, the third-largest city in the country, and a number of other places, the tap water is not drinkable. The protests, which have collected in addition to Baghdad, the southern, predominantly Shia, which were after the fall of Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein by the Americans long as the profiteers of the new order.

The protesters are convinced that the Iran-controlled
police are shooting more than guns.

Shiite alliances make up the majority in the Parliament, but al will be the strongest group among them, the Forward Alliance of the populist preacher Moqtada-Sadr. He rejects the strong influence of Iran in Baghdad, decided, and called for a technocrat Cabinet to engage in a compromise with groups that Tehran close. The foreign policy adviser to Khamenei, Ali Akbar Velayati, had said before the election in may 2018 with a view to Sadr's electoral Alliance, and Iran will not allow "Liberals and Communists" to rule Iraq.

Iran has from the very beginning, against the demand of the protesters, the reform of the political System in Iraq and to adopt a new electoral law. The IRGC-General Qassim Soleimani, the determined, de facto, the Iranian policy towards Iraq, flew in to Baghdad. Instead of the Iraqi Prime Minister, Adil Abdul Mahdi, he headed a crisis meeting of leaders of the security apparatus.

The protesters are convinced that it was Iran-controlled militia, have fired in Baghdad and other places with live ammunition on the protesters. In the night were killed in Karbala and Baghdad, five people. The number of victims since the beginning of the protests in the beginning of October rose to more than 260.

In Iraq has made recently, the most important Shiite cleric, large Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, against Iran. No one is allowed to impose on the Iraqi people to his will, he said in his Friday sermon. He gave the protests a new legitimacy. Premier Mahdi has offered his resignation, if the parties can agree on a successor. However, this is hardly conceivable, if the Iran-allied groups refuse.

Iranian militias in Iraq to displace local actors

Many of the Iranian-controlled militias played in the fight against the terrorist militia Islamic state has an important role. They were officially integrated into the Iraqi security apparatus and the Prime under. De facto, some of the groups take your commands but more of Soleimani. In addition, some of the militias so-called economic offices opened, and displace with their activities, increasingly, other actors, even though they were allocated in the budget of 2.2 billion dollars, one-fifth more than in the previous year, and two and a half times the Budget of the water Ministry.

For Iran, the militias and influence in Iraq have a strategic importance. For one, they act as a counter-weight to the US troops in the country and can threaten. On the other, to secure the overland route to Syria and Lebanon supply routes for the revolutionary guards in Syria and the Hizbullah. You have to fight in the Syrian civil war. Also in Lebanon, Iran turns against the protesters, the call for, as in Iraq, a fundamental renewal of the political system. Iran has rejected the resignation of Sunni Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri and the Hizbullah-controlled along with their Alliance partners in the unity government to a large extent.

Created: 04.11.2019, 19:37 PM