The choice of Iraqi Shiite leader Hammam Hamoudi as a “link” between Iran and Iraq was no passing development, given that he belongs to a generation of Shiite leaders whose political and organizational careers were shaped in Iran before they returned to Baghdad after Saddam Hussein’s regime fell in 2003.

Just days after Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi returned from a 5-day official visit to the U.S. where he met Trump and signed dozens of economic agreements, Ali Akbar Velayati, the Iranian supreme leader's senior adviser on international affairs, denounced the trip as "a badge of shame."

As social media influencers in Iraq increasingly launch self-branded commercial products—particularly in the children’s food sector—questions are mounting over the sources of their wealth and the scale of funding behind their promotional ventures.

As the deadline for Iraqi PM-designate Ali al-Zaidi to present his cabinet to parliament nears, Iran has become directly involved in the government formation process, despite previously insisting it was a purely Iraqi matter beyond external interference.

Judge Faiq Zaidan, a figure close to Iran, has recently emerged in the open amid infighting within the Shiite camp, particularly over objections to Nouri al-Maliki’s bid to return as prime minister.