Khamenei orders Iran backed Iraqi factions to cease attacks on US interests
Shafaq News/ The Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, issued an order for Iraqi armed factions to halt their attacks on US interests, according to a report by Middle East Eye.
According to commanders of Shia armed factions and politicians, Khamenei’s orders were "explicit" and demanded the paramilitaries "immediately" cease their attacks.
"Khamenei's orders were straightforward and clear. All attacks targeting US interests in Iraq must stop", a senior commander of an Iranian-backed armed faction involved in the attacks told Middle East Eye.
Kata'ib Hezbollah, the faction most hostile to the US and accused of carrying out the majority of attacks, was the first to respond to Khamenei’s order. It was rapidly followed by al-Nujaba and other small factions.
"The Americans seek to inflame people against us in various ways, so we decided that thwarting the Americans’ efforts in this regard is more important than targeting the American embassy", a prominent commander of one of the armed factions involved in these attacks told MEE.
"Calming the Iraqi street, preserving the Iraqi government and the political process is the priority now. Therefore, it was decided to suspend all attacks targeting US interests in Iraq until the danger passes", he continued.
Iraqi officials said the US administration is afraid that armed groups linked to Iran will attack the Baghdad embassy to embarrass US President Donald Trump, who is seeking to win a second term in the 3 November election.
The significant shifting in the attitude of the Iranian-backed armed factions and the timing of the announcement of this unilateral truce has raised many questions about the real goal of this decision, its conditions, its time limits, the identity of the guarantor party, and, most importantly, who is making it.
However, it seems that calculations changed after "the Iranians made sure of the seriousness of the threats that Pompeo conveyed through Iraqi President Barham Salih to strike Iranian interests and their allies inside Iraq", according to a senior Shiite leader close to Tehran.
"The Iranians have received very important advice from a common ally that had a clear effect in changing their position", the politician, who was involved in talks with Iran, told MEE.
"The advice is to avoid provoking Trump at this stage as he is serious about his threats and because he is desperate and will not hesitate to do a reckless act that will cost everyone dearly", the politician added, "Any military action inside Iraq now means the downfall of the Iraqi government. Iran itself will not be able to deal with the consequences of the fall of the government, especially the consequences of a political, financial and economic nature".
That so-called "common ally" is Britain, a country believed by Shia leaders to be the real player in the Iraqi arena at present, and credited with persuading the Iranians to avoid provoking the Americans and follow the option of appeasement.
"No clear information is available, but all signs indicate that the British were the ones who played an influential role this time, although they did not appear in the picture as usual", the politician said.
Unusually, Khamenei’s order was not transmitted to the armed factions through regular channels or Iranian officials working on Iraq.
Instead, "due to its importance", the commanders of the most prominent factions, including the Badr Organization, the oldest Iranian-backed Shia group in Iraq; Kataeb Hezbollah; and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, the most powerful faction, were summoned to Qom to meet Khamenei, at least three of the factions’ leaders told MEE. There was more than one meeting with Khamenei.
"The essence of the orders that were issued were to preserve power in the hands of the Shia. That is, to preserve the position of the prime minister and the current government", a senior commander of an Iranian-backed armed faction told MEE, "Sayed Khamenei says that Kadhimi is Shia, regardless of whether he is bad or good from our point of view, and he will eventually leave this position sooner or later. But the position must remain in the hands of the Shia".
The commander said Khamenei warned any attacks now could threaten Kadhimi’s rule, and therefore everyone’s political strategies, "therefore, activities that might threaten the Iraqi government or place it at the mercy of the Americans must be stopped immediately", he said.
