Iran risks losing influence in Iraq, US-based analyst says

TEHRAN, Iran — Michael Knights, research director at the New York-based Horizon Engage strategic consulting firm, said Iran is struggling to compete with the United States in Iraq across security, political and economic spheres. Knights said Iran's regional dominance has weakened since 2023 due to a series of wars, and that recent American sanctions have for the first time targeted senior financiers linked to Tehran. He noted that in the first Iraqi government formed after 2005, the United States played a more decisive role than Iran in selecting the prime minister. The analyst said that if US special envoy Tom Barrack becomes directly involved in the process and sanctions are used as a tool of pressure, Iran will be left in a defensive position. He described Iran's best strategy as waiting for the Trump administration to lose interest before its term ends, and urged Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and its Iraqi allies to remain quiet to avoid possible arrests under a new government and exposure to US sanctions.