The recent military collision between Iran, Israel, and the United States did not formally involve Iraq, which took pains to declare that it was not party to the conflict. Yet Iraq’s airspace was widely used as a corridor for operations in both directions, just as it was during the two rounds of major Iran-Israel strikes in 2024—a pyrotechnic display that cannot have escaped the attention of the country’s Iran-backed militias. Even so, these groups largely stayed out of the twelve-day conflict, while the actions taken by relevant foreign players signaled an intent to exempt Iraq from most of the war’s effects. Leveraging militia timidity, Washington should push forward with its quest to roll back Iranian influence in Iraq’s governance and energy sectors, taking advantage of the powerful momentum created by the war. At the same time, U.S. officials need to formulate a clear policy for securing Iraq’s airspace in a manner that preserves America’s interests—including U.S. freedom of action in any future crises.
Leveraging Iran’s Defeat to Strengthen U.S.-Iraq Security Relations | The Washington Institute
