Iraq – Reactions vary about Iran’s change of its policy toward Iraq after the winning of Raisi

Following the winning of Ebrahim Raisi, a member of Iran’s conservative movement, as a new president, local politicians and educated elites in Iraq expressed different opinions about the possibility of changing Tehran’s approach to its foreign policy towards the country. Some denied the occurrence of any anticipated shift for different reasons, including the nature of the present political ties with Iran and the geography of the place, in addition to Iran’s economic benefits in the amount of the two country’s trade balance. The victory coalition’s spokesperson, Saad al-Lami, called on the current government to open channels of dialogue with Iran and to refrain from interfering in the country’s internal matters as long as extending its armed forces in Iraq, especially as the country is on the verge of early elections that may differ from its predecessors.