Iraq is caught between Washington and Tehran

0:00The midterms are coming, and if you think the news cycle feels intense now, just wait until the fall. That's why summer is a perfect time to make sure your news diet is calibrated. I mean, Martinez, on Up First, we unpack the three biggest stories every morning so you can stay informed and get on with your day in fewer than 15 minutes. Follow or subscribe to Up First today wherever you get podcasts. Today on State of the World, Iraq is caught between Washington and Tehran.

0:33You're listening to State of the World from NPR. We bring you the day's most vital international stories up close where they're happening. I'm Greg Dixon. In July, Iraq's new prime minister visited Washington. There, he promised President Trump that Iraq would disarm Iran-backed militias by the end of September. Many of those militias attacked U.S. troops during their occupation of Iraq, and since the U.S.-Iran war, some of these paramilitary groups have hit U.S. assets. But for a country with close ties to neighboring Iran, it's a tough promise for Iraq to keep. NPR's Jaina Raft takes us to Baghdad to see how the country is balancing its relationship between the two powers.

1:15On Baghdad's airport road, there's a shrine of sorts. It's on the spot where six years ago, the United States fired Hellfire missiles, killing Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani, along with a senior Iraqi security official, and eight other people. The monument is the wreckage of the cars that were hit by the missiles, and they've been placed kind of end to end, and there are white doves interwoven between them, reaching to the sky. Two decades after the U.S. invaded Iraq, it still holds immense power. As does neighboring Iran, which plays a huge role in Iraqi security and politics. With the U.S.

1:57and Iran at war, Iraq is in a very tough spot. At Trump's first meeting with Iraq's new prime minister in June, the president was still gloating over killing Soleimani. I killed him in my first administration. Had I not, it might be a different story today. He was a mad genius. Soleimani was polarizing, hated by some for interfering in Iraq and for arming Shia militias, backed by Tehran, but glorified by many others for playing a key role in fending off the militant group ISIS. Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has promised Trump he will disarm the country's most powerful militias. After the 30th of September, there's no need for the presence of any faction.

2:45Those militias have attacked U.S. diplomatic missions and military bases in Iraq because they believe the U.S. is an occupying force and an extension of Israel. Some paramilitary groups have already handed over weapons to the Iraqi government, but several other powerful groups refuse. In a quiet residential neighborhood in Baghdad, we meet the spokesman for one of them, called Qatab Syed al-Shuhada. Three years ago, the U.S. put a$10 million bounty on its leader, accusing him of attacks on U.S. forces. Sheikh Ghadim al-Fartusi says as long as the U.S. maintains intelligence and military assets in diplomatic missions, the Iran-backed resistance his group is part of will attack.

3:36If these bases launch attacks, assaults, and hostile acts, they must be punished. If the government is complicit, pressured for any reason, or sometimes powerless, we are not like that. He says they don't want armed confrontation with the Iraqi government, but he fears one is coming. Iraq's security spokesman, Lieutenant General Saad Naan, says he believes Iraq will succeed in regaining control of weapons. I think the situation will be better. Nobody will have this opposition against the government, against the will of our society, our community. Iraqi analyst Sajad Jad says Iran seems to feel equally confident that paramilitary groups will hang on to their arms.

4:20I think Iran feels very confident that it's going to stand by pro-Iran groups in Iraq and elsewhere. no amount of pressure from Israel or the United States is going to see these groups crumble away. Sheikh Fartusi tells us he believes the Shia cannot be defeated, even with Hellfire missiles.

4:43You can kill them, but you cannot defeat them, he says. Why? He says because their belief is that being killed is part of victory. Jane Araf, NPR News, Baghdad.

5:01That's the State of the World from NPR. Thanks for listening.

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5:45I'm Leila Faldil. On Up First, we unpack the three biggest stories every morning so you can stay informed and get on with your day in less than 15 minutes. Follow or subscribe to Up First today wherever you get your podcasts.