Iraq resists US pressure to sanction Iranian airlines amid troop withdrawal

Iraq's foreign minister stated on Thursday that his country is a "victim" of the US-Iran conflict and expressed reluctance to comply with American requests to impose sanctions on Iranian airlines. These remarks came a day after President Trump announced the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.

"We became a victim of this war — we, Iraq," Fuad Hussein told reporters at the Iraqi embassy in Washington. "Our economy became a victim, but our people also. We have been attacked many times by various countries in the conflict."

Hussein, who is in Washington to meet with Treasury and State Department officials, indicated that Iraq wishes to avoid involvement in the conflict but is open to mediating if requested. The U.S. Treasury Department is leading an initiative, dubbed "Operation Economic Outcast," aimed at severing Tehran's business ties with other nations to increase American leverage. However, Hussein voiced concerns about cutting off airlines, which represent a significant revenue stream for Iran.

He explained that many Iranian visitors travel to Iraq for religious pilgrimage to holy sites, estimating the annual number of Shiite pilgrims to Iraq from Iran at around 5 million and Iraqi pilgrims to Iran at approximately 3 million. "This is one of the most sensitive issues for us because it has to do with the religious [sites]," Hussein stated. "This will create huge problems because at the end it has to do with religious subjects."

Hussein, a politician with both Kurdish and Shiite heritage, emphasized that Iraq aims to maintain positive relations with both the United States and Iran. He attributed Iraq's involvement in the conflict to actions by both nations, noting, "Iraq has been attacked by the countries in conflict — that means for a while the Americans attacked Iraq, but the Iranians also attacked Iraq."

He reiterated Iraq's neutral stance, saying, "We are not part of this war… We are emphasizing on the solution through negotiations and talks but we are not intervening in American politics; this is their own policy." He added, "There are common grounds and there are some areas where we have got different opinions... We want to have both sides discussing, meeting, negotiating."

On Wednesday, President Trump celebrated the departure of U.S. forces after more than two decades in Iraq. "This day is a victory for the United States. It’s a victory for Iraq and a decisive victory over ISIS," Trump said, expressing support for the new Iraqi prime minister, Ali al-Zaidi. Hussein, however, noted that the threat from ISIS persists, with potentially thousands of militants in Syria posing a risk to Iraq's security if they cross the border.

U.S. troops were initially stationed in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 and returned in 2014 to combat the Islamic State group.

The Iraqi foreign minister offered a more positive outlook on his government's efforts to disarm Iran-backed militia groups, reporting that oil exports are nearing pre-war levels. He stated that Iraq exports between 2.5 million and 2.6 million barrels of oil per day through the Strait of Hormuz, with U.S. assistance. An additional 200,000 barrels per day are flowing through a pipeline to Turkey, with plans to increase this to 700,000 barrels per day. Iraq is also in discussions with Syria and Jordan regarding new pipeline projects to circumvent the waterway.

Last year, Iraq's crude oil exports averaged approximately 3.45 million barrels per day. Hussein also reported that a fifth Iran-backed militia group has agreed to disarm by next summer, leaving two remaining groups.