US National Security Adviser: World needs to stop network of Iranian proxies

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster on Saturday warned that Iran is creating and arming “a powerful network of proxies” in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Syria, and called on the international community to do more to isolate Tehran.

Although the White House has been clear about the problem of Iranian influence in Iraq, the State Department has been less so, regularly omitting Iraq from the list of countries in which Tehran’s role was a danger.

“What’s particularly concerning is that this network of proxies is becoming more and more capable, as Iran seeds more and more...destructive weapons into these networks,” McMaster said at the annual Munich Security Conference.

“So, the time is now, we think, to act against Iran,” he added, highlighting the presence of Iranian proxies in Syria, Yemen, and Iraq. “Let’s do everything we can to cut off funding.”

Iranian-backed Shia militia groups like the Hashd al-Shaabi in Iraq and Lebanese Hezbollah in Syria continue to have a significant presence in the region.

Following the emergence of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq, the Hashd al-Shaabi was formed to defend Shia-majority areas from the extremist group but was eventually officially included in the Iraqi Armed Forces.

Since then, the Hashd al-Shaabi have been accused of continuous human rights violations, including their role in the military takeover of Kirkuk last October where they terrorized the civilian (Kurdish) population by looting homes as well as kidnapping and displacing thousands.

McMaster knows Iraq well, particularly the north of the country, including the Kurds, from his time as commander of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment.

The 3rd ACR was charged in 2005 with defeating the insurgents in Tal Afar, then considered nearly as challenging as Fallujah.

He previously suggested that Tehran, “which has been very successful in infiltrating and subverting Iraqi institutions, functions, [and] organizations, wants an Iraq that is perpetually weak.”

McMaster noted, “Others in the region,” particularly Iran, seek to manipulate the tensions between Erbil and Baghdad, and even among the Kurds, “for their own benefit.”

“Iran is very good at pitting communities against each other,” he said. “It is a hegemonic design and a threat they share with IS and al-Qaeda.”

Last fall when Iraqi forces, supported by the Iranian-backed Shia militias, attacked Kirkuk, the Trump administration seemed less aware of the extent of Tehran’s influence in Baghdad.

The Oct. 16 assault on the Kurdish-held city was engineered by Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and President Donald Trump had just announced a tough new policy against Iran. However, the US, nonetheless, turned a blind eye to the attack.

Editing by Laurie Mylroie