Iraq caught in crossfire of Iran war

Irbil: Iraq is getting caught in the crossfire of the Iran war as the only country facing strikes from both sides, and that threatens to drag the nation that has so far avoided two years of regional turmoil into a full-blown crisis.

As the war nears two full weeks, Iraq’s situation is growing more desperate.

Disruptions to Gulf shipping and strikes on oil fields and infrastructure have all but halted exports, jeopardising a state that relies on such trade for the bulk of its revenue.

If the shutdown continues, Baghdad could be unable to meet its oversized public-sector payroll as soon as next month, risking widespread unrest, two Iraqi Kurdish officials said.

The federal government has appealed to northern Kurdish leaders to resume exports via a pipeline to Turkiye, but talks remain deadlocked over longstanding domestic issues.

The officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive political matters.

In the meantime, a parallel conflict to the wider war has escalated between Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups and the US.

Near-daily drone strikes have targeted American interests across the country, while the US has struck back against militia bases to defend its troops.

Since the war began February 28 following a major US and Israeli strike in Iran, drone and missile attacks

have targeted American interests in Iraq, including military bases in the Baghdad and Irbil airports, and US diplomatic facilities. Iran and its allied Iraqi militias also have struck oil fields and energy infrastructure to escalate the economic toll.

Unlike other Middle Eastern states touched by the war, Iraq hosts both entrenched Iran-aligned forces and significant US interests.

Its economy depends overwhelmingly on oil, so disruptions to production or exports through the Strait of Hormuz could sharply cut government revenue just as a fraught political transition grips Baghdad.

The longer the conflict lasts, the greater the risk that economic shocks, political paralysis and friction with Iran-backed militias will combine to unravel Iraq’s hard-won relative stability.

Leaders in Baghdad and Irbil continue to urge caution and insist the war must not be fought on their soil, but the conflict’s trajectory is increasingly slipping beyond their control.

The US has communicated assurances to Iraqi leaders that the country won’t be dragged into the regional war, according to the two Kurdish officials who spoke to AP.