If we don’t watch what’s going on, a win over ISIS will quickly turn into a win for Iran for control of Iraq. This is like that moment in June 2014 when Obama could have wiped out ISIS and didn’t, with far-reaching consequences. We have the power to bring the Iraqi government to heel on the issue now if we hold strong on it.
President Trump might have to revoke support for Iraq due to domestic infighting and the growing influence of Iran, a prominent Republican suggested Thursday.
A clash between the Iraqi central government and a semi-autonomous ethnic minority seeking independence has brought two key U.S. partners to blows. The Trump administration opposed the Kurdish referendum calling for independence and favors the central government maintaining sovereignty.
But, the U.S. is also refusing to overtly take sides in the fight, even as Iranian forces partner with the Baghdad to take the oil-rich city of Kirkuk, which had been held by the Kurds.
“Should the Government of Iraq continue down this path and effectively act as a puppet of Iran, it would require a reevaluation of U.S. support to the country,” Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday.