In July 2020, Iraq’s new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi accelerated his efforts to enhance Iraq’s sovereignty and independence through direct engagement with the three powers currently jockeying for influence over Iraq – the United States, Iran, and Saudi Arabia| The Soufan Center
According to the Department of Defense, on February 25, two U.S. F-15 aircraft conducted a “proportional” strike on seven facilities in eastern Syria used by the Iran-backed militias that conducted a February 15 attack on Erbil International Airport and surrounding residential areas in Iraq’s Kurdish-controlled north| The Soufan Center
In discussions with European and other world leaders on February 18-19, President Biden and his foreign policy team formally welcomed the start of a diplomatic process to rejoin the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear deal that the Trump administration exited in May 2018| The Soufan Center
As the Iranian people prepare to go to the polls to elect a new president in June 2021, Iran’s hardliners seek to advertise the benefits of Iran’s robust financial and military investment in President Bashar Al Assad of Syria| The Soufan Center