Members of the Iraqi federal police raise the victory gesture as they ride on a humvee while advancing through the Old City of Mosul on June 28, 2017, as the offensive continues to retake the last district held by Islamic State (IS) group fighters. (Photo credit AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)
Iraq/Iran
Iran
Presidential Inauguration Postponed
Iranian MP Behrouz Nemati revealed on June 22 that the presidential inauguration, initially scheduled for Aug. 6, has been delayed indefinitely. According to Iran’s constitution, in order for the president to be inaugurated he must be endorsed by the ayatollah. Recently re-elected President Hassan Rouhani has in recent weeks been outspoken against Ayatollah Khomeini, who may be withholding his endorsement.
Iran Nuclear Negotiator Warns of U.S.-Saudi Embrace
Writing in Britain’s Guardian newspaper June 23, Iran’s former foreign minister and chief JCPOA negotiator Ali Akbar Salehi warned that Washington’s increased embrace of Saudi Arabia—as evident through arms deals and policy declarations—at the expense of its relations with Tehran would destabilize the region and exacerbate any number of regional problems. Salehi also chastised the U.S. directly for relying on “alternative facts” as the basis for its regional policy.
Iran Clarifies Qatar position, Calls Embargo “Unacceptable”
Iranian President Rouhani told Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani that the continued embargo against it—and attendant demands levied by Saudi Arabia—were “unacceptable to us,” and that “Tehran will stand by Qatar’s government.” His statement came weeks into a conflict that is pitting Iran and Türkiye—who have both announced strong support for Qatar, against Saudi Arabia, which is leading a four-nation coalition aimed at forcing Qatar to shut down its Al Jazeera network and divest from interests that Riyadh claims are linked to terrorism.
In Rebuke of U.S., U.N. Secretary-General Softens Stance on Iran
In a recently released statement regarding Iran’s ballistic missile launches, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres used markedly softer rhetoric compared to statements made by his predecessor, Ban Ki-moon, and in direct contrast to statements made by the United States and Israel, which have dubbed the launches “unacceptable.”
Newly Declassified U.S. Documents Detail CIA Involvement in 1953 Coup
After more than 60 years of secrecy, the United States government declassified documents detailing the CIA’s role in fomenting the 1953 coup overthrowing Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh and installing Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi as leader of the restored monarchy. The coup was launched after Mossadegh nationalized his country’s oil industry and was intended to establish another Western-friendly oil power in the region. While the shah was more friendly with the U.S., his illegitimacy in the eyes of many Iranians led to his ouster in 1979, when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini assumed power.
Number of Iranian Drug Addicts Doubles as Afghan Opium Production Swells
An unfortunate consequence of rising opium production in neighboring Afghanistan, the number of Iranians addicted to drugs has risen to 2.8 million, a dramatic 67 percent increase from the 1.3 million reported six years ago by the Tehran government. The increase is largely attributed to the accessibility of opiates produced in Afghanistan’s poppy fields, which are the largest in the world.
Senate Passes Iran Sanctions Bill Despite Oil Lobby Opposition
A Senate bill to codify and levy sanctions against Russia and Iran received a strong amount of push-back from oil companies and lobbyists, who see the sanctions against the two countries as unduly hostile to oil interests, and are “deeply troubled by the effects that this would have on their own portfolio.” The two nations both have staggeringly large oil reserves which, if made inaccessible, could force large-scale restructuring of oil company operations. Nevertheless, the Senate approved the sanctions on June 15.
The bill has been met with objections in the House, however, whose members claim it circumvents their constitutional ability to control revenue-raising measures. The resulting delay has raised its own concerns, with House Democrats accusing Republicans of attempting to strip out Russia sanctions, and House Republicans accusing the Democrats of trying to make the bill more hostile to President Trump, who opposes additional sanctions on Russia but does want sanctions on Iran.
Iran Takes Hard Line Against Trump Muslim Ban, Calling it “Racist”
Iran Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi on June 28 described the Muslim travel ban signed by President Donald Trump as “an indication of the decision of the leaders of [the U.S.] to discriminate against Muslims.” Added Ghasemi: “It’s regrettable that the American government, because of their economic and commercial short-sightedness, have closed their eyes to the main perpetrators of terrorism in America.” His statement comes amid a rapid escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran, which came to a head in late June when Iran fired missiles into Syria as a warning to the U.S. after American jets shot down a Syrian military jet on June 18 and an Iranian-made drone two days later.
—Compiled by David DePriest
Iraq
Suicide Bomber Kills Nine in Anbar Province
Iraqi soldiers on June 23 cornered four suicide bombers in a house in the town of al-Baghdadi in Anbar Province. Three of the bombers were killed in the house and one escaped to later blow himself up, killing at least eight civilians and a soldier. The bomb also wounded 11 people.
A Long-Awaited Eid in Mosul Without ISIS
On June 25, residents of Mosul celebrated an Eid without ISIS for the first time in several years. Celebrations were somewhat tempered, however, by the destruction of the al-Nuri Mosque by ISIS the previous week and the fate of thousands of civilians still trapped in the Old City.
ISIS Strikes Back in Mosul, Is Quickly Repelled
On June 25, at least two and possibly three counter-attacks by ISIS suicide bombers were reported in the Mosul province areas of Tanak, Rajm Hadid, and Yarmouk. Houses were also set on fire. The counter-attacks were soon thwarted, however. Iraq’s Emergency Response forces said they had faced 80 suicide bombers in the previous four days.
U.S. Federal Judge Temporarily Halts Deportation of 1,444 Iraqis
On June 26, a U.S. federal judge temporarily stopped the deportation of 1,444 Iraqis convicted of crimes. Earlier this year, the Trump administration and the Iraqi government had reached an agreement for Iraq to accept Iraqis without travel documents who were deported from the U.S. At the time, Baghdad was trying to get Iraq off Trump’s travel-ban list. The judge’s ruling was an expansion of his previous ruling to halt the deportation of 114 mostly Chaldean Christian Iraqis living in Detroit, Michigan. The new decision grants those affected two more weeks to apply to reopen their cases in immigration court. The ACLU argues that Iraq is too dangerous a country to be returned to and that the deportees face persecution, torture, or death.
Iraqi Forces Control Half of Mosul’s Old City
On June 28, after recapturing Mosul’s Old City districts of Hadarat al-Saada and al-Ahmadiyya, Iraqi Army Maj. Gen, Jabbar Al-Darraji said, “Fifty percent of this area [Old City] has been liberated.” Approximately 350 ISIS fighters and 50,000 civilians remain under ISIS control.
—Compiled by Alex Shanahan
