The Trump administration is accelerating its efforts to compel other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – all of which are parties to the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear deal – to extend the U.N. ban on arms transfers to and from Iran| The Soufan Center
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
Since his inauguration in May, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has had an uneasy relationship with the several Shia militias that are formally part of the government’s ‘Popular Mobilization Units’ (PMUs), but in practice still report to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF)| The Soufan Center