In light of the ongoing war between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli occupation in the Gaza Strip, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken made a visit to Baghdad - which was not announced in advance - and lasted for one hour, during which he met with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani.

One day after Blinken's quick visit to Baghdad on November 5, 2023, the Iraqi Prime Minister arrived in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and was received by Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, then he met with the Supreme Leader of the Revolution in Iran, Ali Khamenei.

The coincidence of Sudanese going to Iran on November 6, following his meeting with Blinken in Baghdad, raised several questions about whether there was a connection between the two issues, and what the former was carrying in his visit and meeting with the Iranian leadership, and his return to Iraq on the same day after talk about a Gulf tour that he would begin. From Tehran.

On November 5, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) said, “The Prime Minister will begin on Monday (November 6) a regional tour on the developments of events in Gaza,” noting that “he will begin his tour from Tehran and follow it with Gulf capitals.”

Carrying messages

Several speculations were made by Iraqi observers regarding the coincidence of Al-Sudani’s visit the day after he received Blinken, but a private political source confirmed that “the Iraqi Prime Minister is carrying a message to the Iranian leadership, even though his visit to Iran was scheduled before the American Secretary of State arrived in Baghdad.”

The source, declining to reveal his identity, said, “Al-Sudani carried a clear message from the United States to Iran about the need for the latter to control the militias loyal to it and prevent the attacks launched since October 17 on American forces in Iraq and Syria.”

The source suggested that “when Washington learned of Al-Sudani’s visit to Tehran, it sent its foreign minister to send him a message to the Iranian leadership about the necessity of not expanding the circle of war in the region, due to the relations Iraq enjoys with Iran on the one hand, and with America on the other hand.”

But Hussein Allawi, the security advisor to the Prime Minister, denied during a television interview on November 6 that Al-Sudani had carried an American message to Iran.

Allawi said, “Iraq has a path to resolve the crisis in Gaza and stop the Zionist attacks on the Palestinians, so we do not transmit messages, because Iraq is independent.”

Ask for reassurances

For his part, Iraqi political analyst, Ghaleb Al-Daami, said, “The Sudanese visit to Tehran carries several demands, including coordination of positions, especially since the regional and international situation is very confusing, while Iraq is not clear in its policy.”

Al-Daami explained during his statement to the Iraqi newspaper “Al-Alam Al-Jadeed” on November 6, “This comes in light of the tendency of the Iraqi factions (militias) to escalate, with the presence of international positions calling on the Sudanese government to restrain those factions, before Iraq enters with economic and political problems.”

The Iraqi expert believed that “Al-Sudani’s goal in Tehran is to gain its support to put pressure on its friends in Iraq, especially since the factions are influenced and listen to Iran more than they listen to others, as it is linked to the Guardianship of the Jurist. He also wants Iranian reassurances to calm the factions and prevent any escalation from them against the Americans.”

Al-Daami pointed out that Iraq is now counted among the countries of what is known as the “Axis of Resistance,” and that the Prime Minister also wants to visit some Gulf countries in order to clarify the country’s position in its foreign policy.

In the same context, the Iraqi newspaper “Al-Zaman” said on November 6 that Al-Sudani carried a specific message to Iran regarding the need to stop targeting American forces and interests in Iraq, Syria, and the entire region through armed factions loyal to Tehran.”

According to Al-Zaman, several identical sources (whose identity was not revealed) informed it that “there is a special message about the launching of missiles and marches from the Houthis in Yemen towards American naval vessels or targets in southern Israel.”

Aqlam Horra