Iraq will prioritize own interests regarding Iran sanctions: New PM

BAGHDAD — Iraq will prioritize its own interests and independence when it comes to helping the United States enforce sanctions against Iran, new Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said on Thursday.

President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from a 2015 international nuclear accord with Tehran in May and re-impose sanctions has put Abdul Mahdi’s incoming government in a difficult position, since Iraq’s economy is closely intertwined with neighboring Iran’s.

“We want to secure Iraq from any interference in issues, affairs of other countries, whether it’s a neighboring country or it’s any other country in the world,” Abdul Mahdi told a news conference in Baghdad.

The United States and Iran, increasingly at odds, are Iraq’s two biggest allies, and Washington has said there will be consequences for countries that do not respect the sanctions.

Abdul Mahdi’s statement on Thursday did not deviate much from the stance of his predecessor, Haider Al-Abadi.

In August Abadi said Iraq was against the sanctions “as a matter of principle”, but that the country would follow them.

“We consider them a strategic mistake and incorrect but we will abide by them to protect the interests of our people. We will not interact with them or support them but we will abide by them,” he said.

Abadi’s government later asked Washington for permission to ignore some sanctions on its neighbor. Abdul Mahdi did not say on Thursday whether his government would continue to seek the exemptions.

The next wave of sanctions is due to come into effect on Nov 4.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Abdul Mahdi on Thursday to congratulate him on his swearing in. They also discussed the enhancement of bilateral relations, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s media office.

Abdul Mahdi was speaking at his first news conference since being sworn in just past midnight on Thursday.

Later in the day on Thursday, the Cabinet met for the first time outside the Green Zone, the fortified Baghdad district set up 15 years ago in the wake of the US invasion.

The meeting was attended by Abdul Mahdi and 14 new ministers whose positions were approved overnight by parliament.

The Cabinet meeting was held in the highly symbolic former parliament complex that was used under former dictator Saddam Hussein.

After Saddam’s fall from power in 2003, ongoing violence and insecurity in Iraq ensured the Green Zone endured as an enclave for dignitaries and officials, cut off from the rest of capital.

The US and Britain built diplomatic missions in the zone, while Iraq’s government and parliament similarly retreated behind its blast walls, barbed wire and checkpoints.

Under pressure from competing parliamentary factions who are clamoring for a place in the Cabinet, Abdul Mahdi has yet to ask the legislature to approve his candidates for key ministries including interior and defense.

No female candidates have so far been nominated for Cabinet portfolios, prompting the United Nations to send a letter registering its concern over the fledgling government’s lack of gender balance.

The prime minister is required to put forward his choices for a vote in parliament on Nov. 6, six months after national elections. — Agencies