(Al-Monitor) Hassan Ali Ahmed - The recent visit of new Iranian Quds Force commander Esmail Ghaani to Iraq failed to unify the Shiite forces in nominating a new prime minister who would have close ties to Iran. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani rejected Ghaani's request for a meeting, while Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr canceled a prescheduled meeting with Ghaani, stating that "there should be no foreign interference in Iraq's affairs." Nor did Ghaani meet Sunni or Kurdish politicians during his visit to Baghdad. Unlike his predecessor, Qasem Soleimani, Ghaani does not speak Arabic and lacks charisma.
2020-04-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive