During the electoral campaign, public statements from figures linked to Iran-backed armed factions praised al-Halbousi and urged Sunni voters to support him, while warning against voting for the Iraqi Sovereignty Alliance.

Western media outlets have warned about the growing influence of Iran-backed militias over Iraq’s telecommunications sector, which could give them control of the national database.

Less than a month after sanctioning four Iran-backed militias in Iraq, Washington imposed a new wave of sanctions that targeted Iraqi officials and state institutions accused of laundering money for Tehran’s government.

One by one, Iraq’s ruling Shiite factions have been making concessions to the United States under unprecedented pressure from Washington on Tehran-aligned allies who assumed power after the 2003 U.S. invasion and the fall of Saddam Hussein.

Baghdad’s ability to resist Iranian pressure is under scrutiny after reports that a senior Iraqi official rejected a request to channel money to Hezbollah via Syria, leaving open the question of whether the cash could yet reach Lebanon.