Iraqi President rejects Trump’s plan to ‘watch Iran’ from military bases in Iraq

Iraqi President Barham Salih on Monday rejected a plan floated by President Donald Trump that calls for keeping U.S. forces in Iraq to “watch” neighboring Iran, saying the United States should not burden Iraq with its own “policy priorities.”

Trump’s comments on Sunday have added to mounting concerns among both opponents and supporters of an American troop presence in Iraq. Their fear is that the White House sees the country as a launch point to enforce Washington’s political goals in the region, rather than as a place to help Baghdad fight a persistent threat from the Islamic State.

After Trump made an unannounced visit to an air base in western Iraq in December, some Iraqi lawmakers pledged to draft a bill calling for the expulsion of American forces altogether, while others called for revising an agreement to significantly draw down the approximately 5,200 American troops in the country. On Monday, several Iraqi officials and politicians said the effort to expel the U.S. forces is gaining momentum following Trump’s comments during a CBS interview.

Speaking at a forum in Baghdad on Monday, Salih said Washington has never sought permission to use Iraq-based forces to monitor Iran and expressed surprise at the idea.

“We will not allow this,” he said, adding that American forces are in Iraq only to assist in the fight against terrorism. “Iraq does not want to be a party or axis to any conflict between multiple countries.”

Salih also said it in Iraq’s “fundamental interest to develop good relations with our neighbours, including Iran.” Shiite-led Iran has strongly backed fellow Shiites who assumed power in Iraq after the 2003 U.s.-led invasion deposed a regime headed by minority Sunni Muslims under dictator Saddam Hussein.