US official: The threat of Iran-backed militias in Iraq remains great

The Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker said that the threat of Iranian-backed militias in Iraq to American forces is still great, and this comes about a week after US President Donald Trump warned of an attack by Iran or its proxies.

He added that Washington is cautiously dealing with the declaration of a ceasefire announced by the Iranian-backed Hezbollah Brigades, stressing that Baghdad needs to take steps if it is concerned with Washington's partnership.

He previously said in March that Washington was "deeply disappointed" in Iraq's performance in protecting the US-led coalition forces.

"If they value that relationship, the Iraqis should take certain steps, and that includes providing protection for the coalition forces present in Iraq, if they want them to stay," he said.

For his part, the chairman of the American Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Millie, said that the Shiite militias in Iraq have not been decided, stressing that the United States will do what is necessary to protect its forces there.

And Iranian-backed armed groups regularly bombed bases hosting American forces in Iraq as well as the area around the US embassy in Baghdad.

Attacks and warnings
On Monday, three Katyusha rockets landed near an area in southern Iraq that includes workers for foreign oil companies, including American oil services company Halliburton. There were no reports of casualties or damage.

Last week, Trump said Iran or its proxies had planned to attack US targets in Iraq, and warned that they would pay a "very high price", but he did not give details.

For his part, a Washington official revealed indications that the Iraqi Hezbollah guerrillas are seeking to attack American forces, and that they have become more aggressive, while the administration of President Donald Trump is discussing confrontational options.

And two weeks ago, the Washington Post quoted a US official as saying that officials receive near-daily reports of impending attacks by the Iraqi Hezbollah Brigades on American military or diplomatic facilities.

Exacerbating tension
Tensions between Baghdad and Washington worsened after a US air strike on January 3 killed the leader of the Iranian Quds Force Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who founded the Shiite Hezbollah Brigades in Iraq after the US-led invasion in 2003.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States had proposed a "strategic dialogue" with Iraq in June, in an effort to improve strained bilateral ties.

Yesterday, the Iraqi President assigned Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi, the intelligence chief, to become the third person to be chosen to lead Iraq in ten weeks, at a time when Iraq finds it difficult to form a new government after the collapse of the previous government under the weight of protests that lasted for months.

On this choice, Schenker said, "If Al-Kazemi is an Iraqi nationalist committed to achieving sovereignty for Iraq and fighting corruption, it will be great for Iraq, and we think it will be wonderful for our bilateral relationship."