Iraqi Prime Minister's Visit to Iran Canceled

Haider al-Abadi, the Prime Minister of Iraq, who recently announced that he would comply with U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic, has canceled his trip to Iran. On Sunday, August 12, the French news agency reported this news citing the press office of Mr. Abadi. According to this report, the Prime Minister's trip to Turkey scheduled for this Tuesday remains unchanged, but his trip to Iran has been canceled due to what has been described as 'work commitments.' An unnamed Iraqi official told the French news agency that Abadi was supposed to travel to Iran and Turkey for economic discussions, but after Iranian officials expressed dissatisfaction with his statements regarding compliance with U.S. sanctions against Tehran, his trip to Tehran was canceled. The Associated Press also reported, citing an unnamed Iraqi official, that the Islamic Republic of Iran had canceled the Iraqi Prime Minister's visit. The news agency stated that Saad al-Hadithi, the spokesman for the Iraqi government, declined to comment on this matter. On August 16, the Iraqi Prime Minister announced that Baghdad does not agree with U.S. sanctions against Iran but complies with them to protect its own interests. Haider al-Abadi described U.S. sanctions against Iran as a 'strategic mistake,' but at the same time stated, 'We comply with the sanctions to protect our nation's interests. We do not support these sanctions, but we act according to them.' Mojtaba al-Hosseini, representative of Ali Khamenei in Iraq, reacted strongly to these statements, condemning them as 'irresponsible.' He stated, 'This is a betrayal of Iran, which has had a sincere position towards Iraq, and also a betrayal of the blood of Iranian martyrs who defended Iraq.' Al-Hosseini expressed disappointment over the Iraqi Prime Minister's remarks, adding that these statements indicate that Haider al-Abadi has 'psychologically failed' against the U.S. The Iranian news agency also published a report citing al-Furat Iraq, stating that the spokesman for the Iraqi government supported Abadi's position regarding U.S. sanctions against Iran, saying, 'This stance was not uncalculated or hasty.' Irna, which later deleted this news, quoted Saad al-Hadithi as saying that Abadi's statements were 'not spontaneous or hasty but based on Iraq's national interests.' He stated, 'The Iraqi government cannot take a position that contradicts its national interests, and adherence to U.S. sanctions is based on this principle.' Mahmoud Sadeghi, a member of the Iranian Parliament, also criticized the Iraqi government's decision to 'comply' with U.S. sanctions against Iran's nuclear program following Abadi's remarks. Sadeghi tweeted that 'the Iraqi government owes $1.1 trillion in compensation for direct damages from the imposed war to Iran according to Article 6 of Resolution 598.' Since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, Iran's influence in Iraq has significantly increased, and the two countries have extensive strategic relations in various fields. Although Iran and the U.S. have hostile relations, both are among Iraq's largest allies, and thus the return of Washington's sanctions has put Abadi's government in a difficult position.