Key Takeaways:
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Blinken’s Visit Met Brazen Kataib Hezbollah Threat; Sudani In Tehran For Talks With Khamenei – On November 5, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Baghdad for talks with PM Mohammed al-Sudani, which Blinken said were “good, productive, candid.” Blinken said his two goals were to ensure the security of U.S. personnel amid attacks by Iran-backed militias, and to reaffirm Washington’s partnership with Baghdad. To this end, Blinken said he delivered a “clear message to anyone who might seek to take advantage of the conflict in Gaza to threaten our personnel here or anywhere else in the region: Don’t do it.” Blinken also underscored that Washington was “working very hard to make sure that the conflict in Gaza…does not spread to other places – whether it’s here, whether it’s elsewhere in the region.” Meanwhile, a Kataib Hezbollah militia spokesman said that Blinken was “unwelcome” in Iraq and threatened “unprecedented escalation” in response to the diplomat’s visit. The militia spokesman went on to issue an explicit threat to shut down the U.S. embassy and “prevent American nationals from entering the country” by using “our own, non-peaceful, method.” On November 6, PM Sudani visited Tehran and met with President Ibrahim Raisi and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Sudani said his talks focused on the war between Israel and Hamas and “the genocide” against Palestinians, accusing the international community of failing to take action to stop the “crimes…and forced displacement and starving of Palestinians.” Sudani also argued that countries that want to contain this conflict must pressure Israel to “stop the deliberate killing,” adding that the decision whether to plunge the region into all-out war “is in the hands of the side that’s engaged in aggression against the people of Gaza.” Sudani also spoke with Khamenei and Raisi about the urgent need to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and Iraq’s efforts in that regard. For his part, Khamenei said that Iraq “can play a major role in putting political pressure on the US and the occupying regime to stop the massacre of people in Gaza and also in starting a new approach in the Arab and Muslim world.” In other developments, on November 9, PM Sudani arrived in Erbil and met with KRG PM Masrour Barzani. Sudani’s talks in Erbil will likely address the recent militia attacks on U.S. forces in Erbil and ongoing budget disputes between Baghdad in Erbil. Earlier this week, KRG leaders urged Sudani “as commander in chief to prevent outlaw forces” from creating new problems for Iraq and the region, calling the new wave of militia attacks “a dangerous development for Iraq and the Kurdistan region.” more…
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Iraqi Militias Launch New Attacks On U.S. Forces In Erbil, Anbar, And Syria; Fighting Between Militias Kills Three In Basra – Between November 2 – 9, military bases hosting U.S. forces in Anbar and Erbil were attacked at least nine times with explosive drones and rockets fired by Iran-backed militias. One of the attacks forced Erbil’s International Airport to temporarily suspend operations. Iraqi militia groups also claimed responsibility for at least three other attacks on bases hosting U.S. military personnel across the border in Syria. There were no reports of fatalities as a result of these attack. In related developments, on November 8, U.S. aircraft struck a weapons depot in Syria’s Deir al-Zour province used by militias linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. U.S. officials said the strike was aimed at “disrupting and degrading the capabilities of groups directly responsible for attacking U.S. forces,” adding that the operation was designed to avoid further escalation. On November 9, at least two people were killed and three were injured, including policemen, when a gunfight erupted between members of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia and the rival Saraya al-Salam militia of Muqtada al-Sadr. Security forces were reportedly placed on high alert in anticipation of further escalation. In other developments, on November 6, two members of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) were killed and two more were injured after they were struck by an armed drone in the Ranya district of Sulaymaniyah province. more…
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Iraq Finalizes Preparations To Buy Natural Gas From The Kurdistan Region And Turkmenistan – On November 5, Iraq’s Oil Ministry said it finished extending a pipeline to transport gas from the Khor Mor gas field in the Kurdistan region to the Kirkuk gas-fired power plant at Taza. The pipeline, 1,050 meter long and 16 inches in diameter, is a spur that connects the existing pipeline network to the power plant, and is intended to move 100 million cubic feet/day. The news comes almost four months after Baghdad approved plans by the Ministry of Oil to purchase natural gas from Khor Mor. The KRG Ministry of Natural Resources said it informed Khor Mor operator, Pearl Consortium, on November 2 that it was “not allowed to export gas” without the Ministry’s prior authorization, without providing further details about negotiations with Baghdad in this regard. On November 7, Iraq’s Electricity Minister arrived in Turkmenistan to finalize arrangements, based on a memorandum of understanding signed October 6, to import natural gas from the central Asian gas producer. A government statement said the talks focused on “the details and final arrangements for delivering gas,” adding that the gas would be supplied to Iraq through the Iranian pipeline network, which is connected to the Iraqi gas network, without adding further details. In other developments, on November 9, the exchange rate of the Iraqi dinar against the U.S. dollar on the parallel market reached a new high of around IQD 1,650 to 1$. On November 9, Iraq’s Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA) signed an agreement with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) under which the ICAA would receive capacity building and other technical assistance. 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.