Key Takeaways:
- POLITICS: Iraq Condemns Israeli Strikes on Iran, Airspace Violations; Federal Supreme Court Hit with Resignations – On June 13, Iraq’s Foreign Affairs Ministry submitted a formal complaint to the UN Security Council regarding Israel’s violation of Iraqi airspace to conduct strikes against Iran. The ministry said Baghdad demanded that the Security Council undertake its “legal and moral responsibility” to deter Israel from repeating these violations. Meanwhile, government sources said Baghdad had sent “a strongly worded message” to Washington, asking it to prevent Israeli warplanes from crossing Iraq’s airspace, invoking U.S. obligations under the bilateral Strategic Framework Agreement. On the same day, Prime Minister Sudani met with the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Iraq and the Commander of the International Coalition forces against ISIS to discuss the situation created by Israel’s attacks on Iran. Sudani said Iraq considers the Israeli strikes a violation of international law that threatens the security of Iraq and the region. He added that the timing of the attack—while diplomatic efforts were still ongoing—reflected a deliberate intention to escalate and drag the region into a wider confrontation. Sudani said the international community should take direct steps to prevent the region from sliding into an uncontrolled spiral of violence. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani also strongly condemned Israel’s military campaign, stressing the need for a peaceful resolution to Iran’s nuclear file and warning that targeting Iran’s top religious and political leadership would lead to “severely dire consequences for the entire region.” On June 19, news reports citing sources from the Federal Supreme Court (FSC) said that nine members of the Court had submitted their resignations. The resignations come at a time when the FSC is expected to deal with two sensitive cases: a deadlock over public sector salaries in the Kurdistan region and maritime border disputes with Kuwait. On Thursday, the FSC postponed a session scheduled to address these issues due to a lack of quorum. The nine judges (six active and three reserve members of the FSC) reportedly resigned due to political pressure from the government to align their decisions with its policies. Correspondence between FSC president Judge Jasim al-Omeiri and Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani appears to partially support these reports. In a letter addressed to Mashhadani on June 17, Omeiri urged political leaders to meet and reach a consensus on these sensitive issues so the FSC could “avoid making contradictory decisions” and “preserve the dignity” of the institution. Omeiri added that the FSC was “fully prepared” to act in accordance with the outcome. Mashhadani, however, rejected the proposal, and his response appeared to suggest that the real problem lies in disagreements within the judicial authority and the FSC itself. more…
- SECURITY & HUMANITARIAN: Militias Threaten Attacks on U.S. Interests If Washington Attacks Iran – On June 15, Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq threatened to attack U.S. forces and interests in the region if Washington joins Israel in its military campaign against Iran. In a statement, Kataib Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi, declared: “If America intervenes in the war, we will act directly against its interests and bases spread across the region without hesitation.” Meanwhile, the military spokesman for Asaib Ahl al-Haq renewed his group’s “allegiance to [Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei],” warning the U.S. specifically against targeting Iran’s leader. As soon as Israel commenced its strikes on Iran, Asaib issued a call to “resistance” fighters to be ready to stand with Iran, stressing that Israel’s “crimes and violations will not pass without severe punishment.” Another pro-Iran militia, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, accused U.S. military advisers in Iraq of conspiring to shut down Iraq’s air defense radars to facilitate the passage of Israeli warplanes through Iraqi airspace en route to Iran. The group’s leader, Abu Ala al-Walaie, said the matter necessitates the expulsion of U.S. personnel from the headquarters of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command. By contrast, Muqtada al-Sadr stressed in a message posted online that “Iraq and its people do not need new wars.” While Sadr condemned Israel’s attack, the violation of Iraqi airspace, and U.S. support for Israel, he also called for silencing “ugly unilateral voices” that seek to pull Iraq into the conflict. Sadr called for peaceful mass protests against the U.S. and Israel this Friday. In other developments, on June 15, the Iraqi military deployed short-range Pantsir-1 air defense systems in parts of southern Iraq as a precautionary measure amid hostilities between Iran and Israel. Since Israel launched its latest strikes on Iran late last week, there have been numerous reports of rocket boosters, drones, and fuel tanks crashing across Iraq as Israel and Iran continued to exchange fire over Iraq’s airspace, but there were no reports of casualties associated with any of the incidents. more…
- ECONOMY & CLIMATE: Conflict Shuts Down Iraq’s Airspace; Border with Syria Officially Open; Power Grid Sabotaged Near Basra – On June 14, Iraq’s Transportation Ministry said the country’s airspace had been closed to commercial traffic as a security measure amid hostilities between Iran and Israel. By Monday, authorities had restarted limited operations at Basra Airport, allowing a few emergency flights between Basra and several regional destinations to help Iraqis stuck abroad return home. International airlines have suspended flights to airports in Iraq, Iran, Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon amid continuing strikes, and maps from flight-tracking websites show a virtually empty airspace from the Mediterranean in the west to Iran’s borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the east. On June 14, Iraq’s Border Ports Commission announced that the al-Qaim/Albu-Kamal border crossing between Iraq and Syria had officially reopened to the movement of passengers and goods. The first Syrian truck crossed the border on Saturday after passing through inspection, customs, and passport controls, the Commission said in a statement, inaugurating traffic through the crossing, which has been closed since December during the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria. On June 18, Iraq’s Ministry of Electricity said that two high-voltage pylons in Basra were “deliberately sabotaged,” resulting in a loss of 300 megawatts in the power grid. Images shared by the ministry show the 132-kilovolt pylons lying flat on the ground. Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident, which took place near Khor al-Zubeir, southwest of Basra. In the past, insurgents and ISIS militants have targeted the power grid with explosives to cut power to cities and towns, though such attacks were never common in the southern provinces. Power lines have also been targeted by scavengers seeking to extract valuable components like copper to sell for profit. more…
For more background on most of the institutions, key actors, political parties, and locations mentioned in our takeaways or in the stories that follow, see the ISHM Reference Guide.