In wake of the end of Ramadan and the Eid al-Fitr holiday, the leaders of Iraq and Syria held an important phone call. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa spoke on the phone on April 1.
This comes as both countries are at a crossroads. Syria is trying to unify itself after years of civil war. Both countries face threats from ISIS and host US forces. In addition, the Kurdish region of both countries is very important.
Sudani’s office said that he “congratulated the Syrian people on the formation of their new government and reiterated Iraq’s commitment to respecting Syria’s political choices.” Shafaq News in Iraq noted that the Iraqi prime minister also “stressed the importance of an inclusive political process that ensures representation of all national components in Syrian society, ‘for a secure and stable future for Syria and the region as a whole.’”
The Iraqi leader also condemned Israel’s attacks on Syria. Israel has carried out airstrikes over the last months there, claiming to target threats that might emerge. Baghdad and Damascus do not recognize Israel.
Iraq has many Iranian-backed militias that have targeted the Jewish state over the last year using drones. Baghdad says it is looking forward to “stronger economic collaboration, citing shared interests and opportunities for deeper ties between Iraq and Syria,” Shafaq noted.
The discussion comes amid some controversies in Iraq. The Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) of Iran-backed militias continue to pose a challenge there. Although these armed groups are officially part of the paramilitary forces of Iraq, they also carry out many operations independently. Recent discussion has focused on reining them in, or even extending their mandate with a new law.
Qais Khazali, leader of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia, gave a speech on March 31 in which he discussed the role of the militias. He has said that there is a “project” to divide Syria and that it is implemented by “Arab” hands to serve Israel. Khazali has demanded that Iraq do more for his militia and other members of the PMU. He has previously traveled to Lebanon to threaten Israel and is sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.
The comments by the Iraqi leader amid the phone call with the Syrian leader come after Syria sent its foreign minister to Iraq last month. This comes as Iran seeks to shore up its support for countries in the region amid US threats. Tehran has threatened that it would retaliate against American military bases in the region, a warning to Gulf countries not to participate in any US strikes.
Iran's outreach to Iraq
Iran is also doing outreach to Iraq to try to safeguard its interests, such as the militias there. Iranian state media said on April 1 that Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that “any threats directed at Iran will result in regret for its adversaries.” The report noted that “Araghchi said in an interview with Al-Masirah, a Yemeni TV channel, that the claim suggesting that attacking Yemen is a prelude to attacking Iran is nothing new and that Iran has heard similar threats in the past.”
He went on to say that Iranians would not let anyone speak with them with the language of threat, adding that “the enemies would regret threatening Iran.”
This is important because Tehran is trying to bolster both the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq, as the Islamic Republic senses that it is losing influence in the region.