Iraq Protests Saudi Ambassador's Remarks on Shiite Militias

The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Saudi ambassador in Baghdad to protest his comments regarding the activities of the Shiite militia Hashd al-Shaabi, calling his remarks "inaccurate" and "contrary to diplomatic protocols." Thamer al-Sabhan, the Saudi ambassador in Baghdad, made controversial statements in an interview with Al-Sumaria TV on Saturday, suggesting that the Hashd al-Shaabi militia should leave the fight against ISIS to the Iraqi army and security forces to avoid exacerbating sectarian tensions. The Hashd al-Shaabi, or "Popular Mobilization," consists of dozens of Shiite militia groups established in 2014 to combat ISIS, founded by current Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and is supported by Iran. A Reuters report indicates that "Iranian military advisors are active both within the group and on the front lines." The Iraqi Foreign Ministry emphasized that "Hashd al-Shaabi, while fighting terrorism, defends Iraq's territorial integrity, and its activities are under the banner and command of the country's armed forces." The remarks about Hashd al-Shaabi elicited reactions from several Iraqi parliament members, with some accusing the Saudi ambassador of interfering in Iraq's internal affairs. Just hours before the Saudi ambassador was summoned to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Khalid al-Asadi, a parliament member, told Reuters that "interfering regarding [Hashd al-Shaabi] and speaking about Muqdadiya and such matters has nothing to do with the Saudi ambassador. He should respect his diplomatic status." Al-Asadi added that he had requested the Foreign Ministry to convey the parliament members' objections to the ambassador. He further stated that "if such interventions are repeated, we will seek to declare the Saudi ambassador an undesirable element and request that Saudi Arabia replace him with another individual." Reuters added that local media have reported similar statements from other Shiite parliament members, including quotes from Awatif Naima, a member of the Shiite majority faction in the Iraqi parliament, stating that "the Saudi ambassador should be expelled immediately or face serious consequences for his remarks." The Saudi embassy in Baghdad has been closed since 1990, following Iraq's military intervention in Kuwait, but recently, after 25 years, Saudi Arabia has reopened its embassy in Baghdad as part of efforts to reduce tensions and resume close relations. Thamer al-Sabhan's mission as the new Riyadh ambassador in Baghdad began on December 31. Earlier this year, the Iraqi Prime Minister stated that they did not want to get involved in regional conflicts, and if there was a confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Baghdad would not intervene. However, following the escalation of tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the past month, which led to the severing of relations between the two countries, Iraq, through its Foreign Minister, announced its readiness to mediate in reducing tensions between Tehran and Riyadh.