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Fighters lift flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups during a funeral in Baghdad following a US strike. Photo: Ahmad Al-Rubay/AFP
WASHINGTON DC - The US State Department is concerned about Iran’s influence on Iraq, undermining ‘’the stability and the integrity of Iraq’s national democratic institutions,’’ the US State Department told Rudaw, as Washington is appropriating this year’s defense funding for Baghdad.
‘’While we encourage Iraq to maintain friendly, productive relations with all its neighbors, we remain concerned about Iranian influence, which seeks to undermine the stability and the integrity of Iraq’s national democratic institutions and the security of the Iraqi people,” a US State Department spokesperson told Rudaw in an email on Tuesday.
Last week, US Representative Michael Waltz, a congressman from Florida, introduced an amendment to the Foreign Appropriations Bill, to highlight Iran's domination and subversion of Iraq's top legal body, the Supreme Judicial Council, and its president, Faiq Zidan.
The annual bill prioritizes the US national defense budget for operations around the world. In 2024, the Pentagon spent about $242 million to counter ISIS in Iraq and $41.7 million more training Iraqi and Kurdish forces. The proposed budget for 2025 increases those amounts to about $380 million and $257 million, respectively.
Representative Waltz’s amendment would severely curb Iraq’s ability to receive the full funding given Zidan’s proximity to Iran.
The US State Department spokesperson further echoed the Biden administration’s support for ‘’a stable, secure, and sovereign Iraq.’’
‘’We are an active partner in Iraq’s efforts to strengthen its security and stability and build resilience to this malign influence,’’ they added.
Iraq’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned the language of the amendment, labeling it as “blatant interference in Iraqi internal affairs.”
In response to Baghdad’s position, Vedant Patel, the US State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson, clarified Washington’s perspective.
‘’That is not the kind of relationship we believe that we have with the Government of Iraq,’’ Patel said. “’And over the course of our relationship … There are a number of areas in which we have worked closely with them, especially in the security and counterterrorism space, as well as energy and energy infrastructure, and we’ll continue to work with them and deepen our cooperation on those areas.”
US Ambassador to Iraq Alina L. Romanowski visited Zidan in Baghdad on Tuesday following the Iraqi officials’ disdain for the language of the proposed amendment.
‘’Today, I met with SJC President Judge Faiq Zidan as part of our good and growing relationship with the Iraqi Judiciary to continue our work on important legal matters of mutual interest,’’ Romanowski posted on X following the meeting.
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