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Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud (R) talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, June 19, 2017.(photo byBandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS)

Author:Ali Mamouri Posted August 18, 2017

Picturesdisplaying Iran's Quds Force commander Gen.Qasem Soleimaniduring the battles with the Islamic Statestopped circulatingonline withthe military phase thatended inthe liberation of Mosul. The Iranian presence and support for the Iraqi forces were absent in the liberation battles.

TranslatorPascale Menassa

Simultaneously, Iraqi officials visited Saudi Arabia and Arab Sunni states that cheer for the Saudi axis. Sadrist leader Muqtada al-Sadr visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Aug. 13-15, with clerics and politicians welcoming him as an Iraqi leader. Prominent Sunni Iraqi cleric Ahmed al-Kubaisi and leading politiciansmet withSadr during his visit to the UAE. This wasonly a few days after hisvisit at the end of Julyto Saudi Arabia, where Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other officials had welcomed him.

In the wake of the visit, Saudi Arabiatook various measures in favor of Iraq, such asannouncing the opening of a Saudi Consulate in Najaf, where Sadr lives. Iraqs most seniorShiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, did not object to this proposition, asin the past he had called for openness in relations.

For its part, Iran strongly criticized Sadrs visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Tasnim website, which is close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, considered the visit a betrayal of the Yemeni people who have been fighting the Saudis for more than a year. Tasnim also accused Saudi Arabia of taking advantage of the Sadrist movement and seeking influence gateways in Iraq.

Sadrs upcoming visit to Egypt was also announced, in addition to a series of visits by prominent Iraqi officials includingthe prime minister andtheministers of interior,foreign affairs,oiland transportation to Saudi Arabia.Iran, Saudi Arabias regional enemy, did not receive such high-level visits.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has been increasingly criticizing the pro-Iran military factions and accused them of violating the law and refusing to obey the Iraqi state. The authorities affiliated with Iran have a bad reputation for being implicated in corruption issues and loss of national public interest in Iraq, especially following the second term of former Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki who has good relations with the Iranian regime and Iran'ssupreme leader.Adding insult to injury was the departure to Iran of Basra's Gov.Majid al-Nasrawi, after the transparency committee accused him of several corruption offences. This gavethe impression that Iran is sheltering those involved incorruption.

Iran is trying to control the situation and preserve its gains in Iraq through its deputies and through bilateral agreements serving its national interests. Iran signed a security agreement with Iraqi Minister of Defense Arfan al-Hayali during his visit July 23. The agreement seemed to have beensigned in a rush, which is uncommon in diplomacy; there were no preliminary talks between experts of both countries, thus indicating Irans urgency in cementing its military and security role in Iraq as a reaction to the Iraqi rapprochement with the Arab Sunni axis.

The official Iranian agency, IRNA, reported thatduring his meeting with Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, Hayali said, The Iraqi army will fight and will neither allow strife anew nor illegal measures to divide Iraq.

As a result, relations between Iraqi Kurdistan and Baghdad tensed up because it was understood that Hayali was threateningthe Kurdish region withmilitary actionin case of a secession referendum.

Hayali deniedthe statements and blamed IRNA offalse reporting.

Saudi Arabia is also trying to offer Iraq aid to outdoIran and win Iraq over pragmatically, regardless of the sectarian disputes.

On Aug. 15, Iraqi Minister of Oil Jabbar al-Luaibi announcedin the wake of his return from Saudi Arabia, The deputy of the Saudi king emphasized the importance of expediting the activation of the Saudi-Iraqi coordination committee to implement agreements in the fields of oil, energy, industry, minerals, technology, investment, agriculture, trade exchange, banks and joint projects.

The Saudi Cabinetannounced Aug. 14 the formation of the coordinationcommittee to implement what was agreed upon during the visits of Iraqi officials in the past weeks.

Luaibi said, Saudi Arabia will put in place several health care and humanitarian projects at its own expense. The kingdom will build a hospital in Baghdad and Basra and will allocate fellowships [for Iraqi students] toSaudi universities. It will also open border crossings and establish free trade areas.

If Saudi Arabia succeeds in implementing its economic projects in Iraq, it will tip the balance of power in its favor, as opposed to Iran that has failed since 2003 to execute huge economic projects in Iraq, whether directly or through the Shiite parties supporting it.

The new Saudi strategy shows soft and positive power in its competition with Iran in Iraq, as opposed to its previous tacticsof isolating Iraq politically and denying the new political reality post-2003. Saudi Arabias past policieshave benefitted Iran to a large extent and allowed the latter to spread its influence on all levels in Iraq.

Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2017/08/iran-iraq-saudi-arab-sunni-shiite.html

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Saudi Arabia engages Iraq at Iran's dismay - Al-Monitor