US concerned about Iraq political situation: news agency says

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr try to enter government’s buildings at Green Zone after Muqtada al-Sadr announces his total withdrawal from politics in Baqhdad, Iraq on August 29, 2022. [Haydar Karaalp – Anadolu Agency]

The US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs Barbara Leaf said yesterday that the current political situation in Iraq is concerning for the US administration.

“Washington, National Security, the Secretary of State and Defence Ministry and others are closely following the Iraqi scene, and the latest events that took place last week indicate that the political scene has reached the edge of the abyss,” Leaf was quoted by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) as saying.

“The conflict between the political elites can only be resolved through dialogue,” she added.

The US diplomat said that President Joe Biden and American leaders are in contact with all Iraqi factions and are urging them to hold dialogue, adding that Iraq and the United States are partners on the regional and international levels, and that the two countries have mutual interests.

She praised Iraq’s “positive role” in the dialogue between the US and Iran.

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