On 23 January 2026, Reuters reported that the United States “has threatened senior Iraqi politicians with sanctions targeting the Iraqi state – including potentially its critical oil revenues – should armed groups backed by Iran be included in the next government.”
The American warning “was delivered repeatedly over the past two months by the U.S. Charge d’Affaires in Baghdad, Joshua Harris, in conversations with Iraqi officials and influential Shi’ite leaders,” after the November 2025 Iraqi legislative elections, concerning specifically “58 members of parliament” that the US views as linked to Iran.
According to other reports, the US has also been pressuring Iraqi leaders to produce a “credible” plan to rapidly disarm the Iran-affiliated groups.
Efforts Category: US’s Political Pressure against Iran in Iraq
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