Transcript [00:00] So, in this video, we are going to take [00:02] a look at the situation between Iran and [00:05] Iraq. Let's start with a little bit of [00:07] uh framing. The new Iraqi prime [00:10] minister, we've talked about him a [00:12] little bit. I made a few videos over the [00:13] last month about him. [00:17] Uh he was basically handpicked, sort of [00:19] handpicked by President Trump, meaning [00:21] President Trump essentially vetoed the [00:23] previous choice. And he was, this guy [00:26] was then chosen. He was a political [00:27] outsider. He's someone who seems to be [00:29] very concerned with the well-being of [00:30] Iraq, which is a refreshing change. And [00:34] he visited the White House very [00:35] recently. [00:37] And his real goal is to consolidate Iraq [00:41] and get rid of all the outside [00:42] influence. And we're going to get into [00:44] that more in a bit and about how [00:46] complicated that is. But what I really [00:48] want to focus on in the f for the first [00:51] part of this video mainly [00:53] is [00:55] how Iran is is terrified right now uh of [01:00] losing their grip on Iraq. You know, [01:03] Iran has had uh basically has had [01:07] control of the political [01:09] uh of political of the political [01:11] landscape in Lebanon for a very long [01:13] time. We know about that and what's [01:14] going on there now. Joseph Aun, the [01:17] president of Lebanon is in is in [01:19] Washington today meeting with President [01:21] Trump and we know what's going on there [01:24] trying to get rid of so that Lebanon has [01:27] has its own sovereignty back and its [01:29] independence back and we get the Iranian [01:30] influence out of there. Of course, with [01:32] the fall of the Assad regime, Iran lost [01:35] their influence over that country. Um [01:38] there's now all this all this pressure [01:40] now uh on the Houthis in Yemen. [01:44] uh they're and the Iranians are [01:47] struggling to keep their axis of [01:49] resistance together and Iraq is a major [01:52] piece of the puzzle for them and it's a [01:54] complicated piece because unlike these [01:56] other countries it's also a Shiite [01:58] majority country uh which complicates [02:01] things in terms of getting rid of [02:03] Iranian influence. Okay, so let's get [02:05] through uh we're I'm going to pull up a [02:07] whole bunch of stories here from the [02:08] last few days and we're going to get [02:10] through them and we'll get a picture of [02:12] what the dynamics are right now with the [02:16] with the efforts of Iran to keep Iraq in [02:19] its orbit and the efforts being made by [02:21] Iraq to extract it itself from the [02:25] Iranian orbit without creating a civil [02:28] war internally. That's what we're [02:29] looking at in this video. That's where [02:30] we're going. And I want to thank a a [02:33] reader, a viewer, sorry, someone who's a [02:36] viewer of this channel who pointed out a [02:38] Chrome extension that could help me [02:41] which highlights pieces of articles so [02:44] that when I'm reading and I don't want [02:45] to read the full article and I'm [02:46] searching around, which if you watch [02:48] this channel, I do it a lot. I could [02:50] have the articles highlighted. Now, I'm [02:52] not I'm not a very technologically uh [02:54] advanced person. Uh bit of a lite in [02:58] many ways. And if any of you have other [03:01] technical pieces of advice for me to [03:03] make these videos better, I appreciate [03:04] it. But I really thank whoever that [03:06] viewer was who made that suggestion in [03:08] one of the comments that I should get [03:10] this and he gave me the name of the [03:11] Chrome extension and I went ahead and [03:14] installed it and uh I'm just thrilled. [03:16] So, thank you whoever you are. I don't [03:17] remember. I was in a comment in a recent [03:19] video and I think we're all grateful to [03:21] you. Here we go. Let's get to it. So, [03:23] this is from July 19th. So, this is uh [03:26] two days ago. leader appreciates Iraqis [03:29] million strong funeral procession for [03:31] standard bearer of resistance. Now this [03:33] is an article in Tasnim. This is Iranian [03:36] state media and uh this is the IRGC [03:40] media outlet, the more hardline. [03:44] I mean they're all hardline, but this is [03:45] the IRGC's outlet. And the purpose of [03:48] this article is to express gratitude is [03:50] for Mosha the fake dead or incapacitated [03:55] leader supreme leader to express uh [03:58] gratitude to the Iraqi [04:02] uh turnout for the funeral because the [04:04] funeral procession of Ali Kami also went [04:07] into Iraq. Now why did it go into Iraq? [04:10] Not just because there's a lot of [04:11] Shiites there, but the origin of Shiite [04:14] Islam is actually in Iraq in Karbala, [04:18] this famous battle that took place in [04:20] Karbala and that's where I imam Ali, the [04:22] founder of of Shiite Islam was killed. [04:26] So it it passed through Iraq and there [04:28] were and there were it says here million [04:30] strong funeral procession for the [04:32] standard bearer of resistance. And this [04:33] entire article almost entirely after [04:35] this brief opening paragraph is the full [04:38] text of a message that was issued on [04:40] July 17th, 2026 [04:44] uh to the Iraqi people from Mosha or [04:48] from whoever is writing things in his [04:49] name. I'm just going to read you one uh [04:52] one excerpt of it so you get a sense of [04:54] it. This unprecedented million strong [04:57] funeral procession for the [04:58] standardbearer of the resistance vividly [05:00] demonstrated the full extent of the [05:03] empathy, brotherhood, and solidarity [05:06] that exists between the two nations of [05:09] Iraq and Iran. Undoubtedly, the leaders [05:13] of global arrogance, capitalized, that's [05:16] America, witnessed the magnificent [05:19] scenes of this massive gathering in Iraq [05:21] with trepidation, seeing how the vast [05:24] resources they've invested to undermine [05:26] relations between the two nations have [05:29] proved entirely futile and ineffective. [05:33] You see what he's saying here? This so [05:34] this paragraph has a political spin on [05:36] it, right? He's saying the your big [05:40] turnout was a message [05:42] to the Americans who were trying to [05:46] separate us to try who are trying to [05:48] drive a wedge between Iraq and Iran. [05:53] The correct way to put it is they're [05:54] trying to get Iranian influence out. You [05:57] know, [05:59] parenthetical statement. Everyone, you [06:02] know, everyone accuses Israel of being [06:05] an occupier and a colonizer, which is [06:07] just absurd. [06:09] And the biggest occupier and colonizer [06:12] in the Middle East over the last 40 [06:15] years is the Iranians. They occupied and [06:18] colonized Lebanon. They they occupied [06:22] and colonized Iraq. They actually [06:26] for the most part occupied and colonized [06:28] Syria because the Bashar Assad regime in [06:31] the last 20 years or even for sure the [06:35] last decade plus has been so weak that [06:38] it's basically become a proxy. It became [06:40] a proxy of the Iranian regime but they [06:42] really have so much control in in Iraq [06:44] and Lebanon that they're basically [06:45] colonies are basically occupied anyway. [06:47] So here he's he's he's saying that this [06:49] is you know this really showed the [06:51] Americans that this turnout of tens of [06:54] millions in both Iran and Iraq for the [06:56] funeral and farewell ceremony of the [06:57] martyed [06:59] mujahed meaning [07:01] holy warrior I imam may his noble [07:04] station be elevated has opened a new [07:06] chapter of awakening and active [07:08] engagement aimed at altering the [07:10] equations that had been designed by the [07:13] arrogant powers. the great Satan, the [07:15] criminal United States, has now revealed [07:18] that the continuation of its [07:19] trouble-free doineering presence in the [07:21] region is nothing but a naive fantasy. [07:24] So he's he's saying that that the [07:26] turnout of the Iraqis uh was was pushed [07:28] back against the Americans. And then we [07:30] have this next piece which is also from [07:32] the 19th from the same day. Look at this [07:35] news item. This is from the same day a [07:38] few hours later. Iran Iraq discuss [07:40] regional deescalation. [07:43] The foreign ministers of Iran and Iraq [07:45] talked about the latest regional [07:46] developments following the US military [07:48] aggression against Iran, Washington's [07:50] repeated violations of the Islamabadou, [07:53] and the need for continued consultations [07:55] to promote regional stability. In a [07:57] telephone conversation on Saturday [07:59] evening, a few days ago, Iranian Foreign [08:01] Minister Abasar Ragi and his Iraqi [08:03] counterpart Fouad Hussein discussed the [08:06] latest regional developments in the wake [08:08] of US military aggression against Iran. [08:12] Washington's repeated breaches of the [08:14] Islamabad memorandum of understanding [08:17] and Iran's response to those hostile [08:19] actions. Arachi described the relations [08:22] between Iran and Iraq as deeply rooted, [08:24] strategic, and profound, I'm sorry, and [08:27] founded on profound historical, [08:29] cultural, religious, and shared national [08:31] interests, emphasizing this shared [08:34] cultural, religious uh identity, which [08:38] is the same uh which is the same theme [08:40] of this letter from the Supreme Leader [08:44] to the Iraqi people. They're trying to [08:47] remind and emphasize, you know, to the [08:50] Iraqi people, the Iraqi Shiites, that [08:52] they're really that they're really one [08:54] nation. You see what they're worried [08:56] about. He also stressed that that the [08:58] valuable ties between the two [08:59] neighboring countries should not be [09:00] affected by certain personal and [09:02] unofficial remarks. The Iranian foreign [09:05] minister reaffirmed Tehran's commitment [09:07] to mutual respect, good neighborly [09:09] relations, and the further expansion of [09:10] ties with the Iraqi government and [09:12] people. The two foreign ministers also [09:14] reviewed the dimensions of the ongoing [09:16] regional developments and their [09:18] implications for regional security and [09:19] stability. They underscored the [09:21] importance of maintaining bilateral [09:23] consultations and coordination to [09:26] prevent further escalation of tensions [09:27] and safeguard regional peace and [09:32] security. [09:34] Okay, that is you know you know that's [09:38] uh that's the lay of the land there. So [09:43] let's go to the next story you. So you [09:45] see what they're doing here. They're [09:46] worried about losing their influence. [09:48] And on the very same day, a third story, [09:51] all on the same day in Tasnim, three [09:54] stories about Iraq, all in one day. All [09:57] Iran Iraq border crossings open for [10:00] Arbain pilgrims official. So the head of [10:03] Iran's central headquarters for Arbain, [10:06] Arbain is the day that well we're going [10:09] to disc we're going to describe what it [10:11] is in a bit. It's it's a holiday for [10:13] Shiites. A very important one. The head [10:15] of Iran's central headquarters for [10:16] Arbain announced that all border [10:18] crossings leading to Iraq are fully [10:21] operational and prepared to facilitate [10:23] the entry and exit of pilgrims traveling [10:26] to attend the Arbain pilgrimage. [10:29] Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Ali [10:32] Akbar Purjam Shidian and the Shaam said [10:38] the Shaam, Shazab, Meeran, Kosrai, [10:42] Bashmak, and Tamarin border crossings in [10:45] western Iran are fully ready to [10:47] accommodate pilgrims heading to Iraq for [10:50] the Arbain pilgrimage, adding that no [10:53] major obstacles exist to their travel. [10:57] I'm jumping down. Arba, one of the [10:59] world's largest annual religious [11:01] gatherings, marks the 40th day after [11:03] Ashur, the anniversary of the martyrdom [11:06] of Oman, Imam Hussein, Imam Hussein, [11:10] Hussein Ali, the third imam of the [11:12] Shiite Muslims. Every year, millions of [11:14] pil of pilgrims from Iran and across the [11:18] world travel to the Iraqi holy city of [11:20] Carbala to commemorate the occasion at [11:23] the shrine of Imam Imam Hussein. To [11:26] facilitate the pilgrimage, Iran and Iraq [11:28] have expanded bilateral coordination [11:30] through a series of agreements aimed at [11:32] easing travel procedures, removing visa [11:34] restrictions for pilgrims, improving [11:36] transportation and public services, [11:38] strengthening medical and logistical [11:39] support, and enhancing security at [11:42] border crossings. I'm wondering how many [11:44] Iranians are going to cross over and try [11:46] not to come back and go from Iraq [11:48] elsewhere to get out of Iran. It this [11:51] should be interesting. It's going to be [11:53] uh it's in August at some point. It's an [11:55] right August 4th. Okay. So these are [11:58] three stories in one day all about you [12:00] know the you know the cooperation and [12:01] the cultural affinity and the religious [12:03] affinity between Iraq and Iran. And then [12:05] on the very next day July 20th uh uh [12:09] which is uh yesterday we have Iraqi [12:12] resistance warns we will intervene [12:14] directly if aggression against Iran [12:16] escalates. The Islamic resistance in [12:18] Iraq has issued a stark warning to the [12:20] United States, declaring it will [12:21] directly enter the conflict and target [12:23] all American bases and interests across [12:25] the region if hostilities against Iran [12:27] escalate. Uh, I don't know what they're [12:29] waiting for. They seem to be kind of [12:30] escalating. In an official statement [12:32] released on Monday, the Iraqi Resistance [12:34] Coalition cautioned Washington against [12:36] expanding its current military [12:38] operations targeting Iranian territory. [12:40] The group stated that should American [12:42] aggression continue or intensify, it [12:44] will transition into a direct [12:46] confrontation with what it termed the [12:48] American enemy. [12:52] Furthermore, the Islamic resistance in [12:53] Iraq emphasized that any wider conflict [12:56] involving Iran would immediately place [12:58] all US military bases and strategic [13:00] assets both within Iraq and throughout [13:02] the broader Middle East in its direct [13:05] line of fire. [13:07] Now, what's interesting about this [13:09] dynamic is we're going to see this in a [13:12] moment, is that [13:14] the the efforts to disarm the pro the [13:19] the various militias in Iraq that the [13:22] new prime minister is engaged in. [13:26] Some of these militias are saying that [13:27] they're only going to give up their [13:28] weapons once the Americans are gone. But [13:31] the Americans aren't going to leave. [13:34] It's a game of chicken. the American the [13:36] Americans aren't going to leave if these [13:37] [clears throat] militias are still [13:38] running around. So, it's a bit of a it's [13:41] a bit of a of a of a game of chicken. [13:43] We'll see how it plays out. And then we [13:46] have this story from uh you know from [13:48] yesterday from late yesterday. US [13:50] soldier killed and one injured. [13:54] US soldier killed and one injured after [13:57] Iranian attack in Iraq. The US military [14:00] says a service member was killed after [14:03] an Iranian attack in northern Iraq on [14:05] Saturday, a day after the attack on a [14:07] base in Jordan that killed two US [14:08] soldiers. So, we had a US uh we had a US [14:11] soldier who was killed in Iraq uh the [14:14] other day, which uh you know does not [14:16] bode well. And then we have this story. [14:19] This is a few this is actually u a week [14:21] old, but it's very relevant to this to [14:23] give us more of the background [14:25] information. Al Zahedi's government [14:27] tests Iran's influence in Iraq. Iran is [14:30] facing challenges in Iraq that it has [14:32] not encountered in years. Iraq's new [14:35] government led by Prime Minister Ali al- [14:37] Zahedi. This guy has declared its [14:40] intention to bring all weapons under [14:42] state control while pursuing closer [14:44] relations with Washington. Just like in [14:46] Lebanon, as Thran and its allies come [14:49] under mounting regional and US pressure, [14:51] Iran's influence in Iraq, built up since [14:54] the 2003 [14:56] US-led invasion, extends far beyond [14:59] armed factions. Over more than two [15:02] decades, listen to this. This is [15:03] describing the Iranian influence in Iraq [15:06] that we're talking about. Over more than [15:07] two decades, Tehran has cultivated an [15:10] extensive network of ties with political [15:12] parties, economic institutions, and [15:15] security agencies, making any assessment [15:17] of its waning influence more complex [15:20] than simply counting the armed groups [15:22] that have so far agreed to surrender [15:23] their weapons and integrate into Iraqi [15:26] state institutions. Understand what this [15:28] just said. This is what Iran does in [15:31] these countries, just like in Lebanon. [15:33] In Lebanon, it's not just that there's [15:35] this militia that needs to be disarmed. [15:39] Is also a party in the government. [15:41] They're part of the economic [15:42] institutions, the banks, the political [15:44] parties, the security agencies. It's all [15:47] intertwined. [15:49] In all of it, it's not so easy to [15:50] dislodge the Iranians. [15:53] Zedi's moves, coupled with his first [15:56] visit to Washington this week, test [15:58] whether shifting regional dynamics and [16:00] sustained US pressure have begun to [16:02] erode Iran's position in Iraq, or [16:05] whether Tehran can preserve its [16:07] influence by relying more heavily on its [16:10] political, economic, and security [16:11] networks. [16:13] Zahedi held two separate meetings in [16:15] late June. I found this really [16:16] interesting. Listen up to this. Zedi [16:19] held two separate meetings in late June [16:21] with Iranian foreign minister Abbas [16:23] Aragi and Kud's force commander Ismael [16:26] Kani Kani. Now Kuds the Kuds force is [16:31] the part of the IRGC that is basically [16:33] the proxies. [16:36] Okay, that's that's what the Kuds force [16:38] is. It's it's the proxy network. So he [16:40] met with the foreign minister and with [16:42] Isma Kani. this this new prime minister [16:45] did. Iraqi sources close to both the [16:47] prime minister and the ruling [16:48] coordination framework told NBN last [16:51] week. According to the sources, both [16:53] meetings became tense over the issue of [16:56] Iranbacked armed factions and weapons [16:59] outside state control. The sources said [17:01] Zahedi rejected any external [17:04] interference in Iraq's security affairs [17:07] during his meeting with Aragshi, asking [17:09] the Iranian official, "Would you accept [17:12] me interfering in your security affairs [17:14] or establishing armed factions inside [17:16] your country?" He argued that the [17:19] continued existence of weapons outside [17:21] state institutions undermines Iraq's [17:24] sovereignty and its foreign relations. [17:26] Zedi delivered the same message to [17:28] Khani, the head of the Kuds force, [17:30] urging Iran to support Iraqi state [17:33] institutions rather than armed factions [17:36] as part of his effort to ensure that all [17:38] weapons fall under government authority [17:40] before the US-led international [17:42] coalition concludes its mission in Iraq [17:44] in September. Right? because the the [17:47] United States is officially the timeline [17:49] is that the United States is going to [17:51] pull out of Iraq in September, [17:55] but they want to make sure that Iraq is [17:57] secure when they pull out. [18:01] Iraq holds significant strategic value [18:03] for Iran in security, political, and [18:06] economic terms. The two countries share [18:08] a border of more than 1,400 kilometers. [18:10] That's 870 mi. Iraq is one of Iran's [18:14] largest trading partners and Thran views [18:16] its influence there as a cornerstone of [18:18] its regional security strategy and its [18:21] ability to counter the United States and [18:23] its allies. And it's a Shiite majority [18:26] country, one of the only ones in the [18:28] world. [18:30] Washington has also imposed sanctions on [18:32] Iraqi government officials, including a [18:34] deputy oil minister, accusing him of [18:37] using his position to facilitate the [18:39] diversion of Iraqi oil shipments for [18:41] Iran's benefit. [18:43] The Zahedi government has made the issue [18:45] of weapons outside state control one of [18:47] its top priorities. It says it has [18:49] reached understandings with al-Hak [18:53] and the Imam Ali brigades to place [18:55] military formations affiliated with the [18:57] two groups under government authority [19:00] and further integrate them into state [19:02] institutions. So two of the Shiite armed [19:04] groups they've made arrangements with [19:06] them to uh [19:09] you know that that that they're going to [19:13] uh that they're going to sudden they're [19:14] going to become part of the Iraqi [19:16] military. However, it remains unclear [19:19] how these agreements will be [19:20] implemented. The government has not [19:21] discussed what weapons would be [19:23] surrendered or which units would be [19:25] restructured, leaving open questions [19:27] about whether the initiative represents [19:29] a meaningful shift or merely a limited [19:32] administrative reorganization. And they [19:34] go further, Iran's [snorts] influence in [19:36] Iraq is not limited to armed [19:38] organizations. Over the years, Thran has [19:40] built close relationships with political [19:41] parties, parliamentary blocks, [19:43] influential figures within state [19:45] institutions. I I mentioned this earlier [19:47] alongside extensive commercial, [19:49] financial and religious networks [19:50] stretching from Baghdad to Iraq's [19:53] southern provinces and border regions, [19:54] meaning the whole country. [19:58] Meanwhile, several major Iranbacked [20:01] armed factions continue to reject plans [20:03] to place all weapons under state [20:05] control, insisting that any such step [20:08] must be tied to the withdrawal of [20:10] international coalition forces from Iraq [20:12] scheduled for September. In other words, [20:13] they're saying, "We're not leaving until [20:15] until the international, you know, we're [20:17] not giving up our weapons. We're not [20:19] even going to discuss it until the [20:20] Americans are gone." Among the most [20:22] prominent are Kata Kisbala and Harakat [20:25] al-Nujaba, both designated by the United [20:28] States as terrorist organizations and [20:30] considered key pillars of the Iranled [20:32] Axis of Resistance. That's access of [20:34] resistance is Iran's name for the proxy [20:36] network. So, these are two major pieces [20:38] of the proxy network. Arkatal Nujaba and [20:41] Katibbah [20:43] and they're and they're refusing to [20:44] disarm. The groups argue that Iraq [20:47] remains subject to an unacceptable US [20:49] military presence and say they will not [20:51] surrender their weapons before foreign [20:53] forces leave the country. Their [20:55] opposition presents an early test for Al [20:58] Zahedi's government. While it's seeking [21:01] to convince Washington that it can [21:02] enforce state authority, it also relies [21:06] politically on a governing coalition [21:08] that includes parties with direct ties [21:11] to the same factions it's trying to [21:13] disarm. [21:15] This dynamic could encourage Thran to [21:18] avoid a direct confrontation with the [21:20] Iraqi government in the near term. [21:22] Meaning, the Iranians might sit back [21:24] because they don't want to have this [21:25] confrontation. They don't want to, you [21:27] know, stir up the eyeire of Trump on [21:29] this point. [21:30] instead focusing on buying time, [21:32] preserving its political and economic [21:34] influence, and waiting for Washington's [21:36] priorities to shift. And preserving [21:39] their their political influence comes in [21:41] the form of things like issuing a letter [21:43] to the people, thanking them for being [21:46] at the funeral, talking about how we're [21:48] going to we're going to deescalate and [21:51] how the borders are going to be open for [21:53] Arba. Right? This is the types of things [21:56] that they're doing. [21:59] So you see how complicated this is. Now [22:00] I want to remind you that when um when [22:05] when El Zedi was was meeting with [22:07] President Trump and he made this [22:09] statement about the militias about them [22:12] disarming [22:14] he said you know once the Americans are [22:17] gone you have no real basis for existing [22:19] as a resistance force because the whole [22:22] concept in theory of these Iranian [22:25] resistance forces is that they're [22:26] fighting the great Satan and the little [22:28] Satan. Sobalah's purpose is to fight [22:31] Israel for example right that's their [22:33] purpose [22:36] and ostensibly [22:38] and this and these you know the other [22:39] Iranianbacked factions their ostensible [22:42] purpose is to fight the Americans who [22:44] are there and ali said you know once the [22:47] Americans are gone you have no reason to [22:48] still have your weapons because the [22:49] Americans are gone who are you fighting [22:52] it's going to be interesting to see [22:53] where this goes um and then we have this [22:56] piece this is also from last week. I [22:58] Iran reinforces border with Iraq amid [23:02] fears of Kurdish action. So this is [23:05] another dynamic here. It's not just [23:07] about the Shiites in Iraq being being [23:10] within the Iranian orbit and and and [23:12] some of them being literal proxies of [23:14] Iran, but we also have the Kurdish issue [23:17] that's going on there. Iranian Kurdish [23:18] opposition parties say that the IRGC has [23:21] deployed thousands of troops and heavy [23:23] weapons to areas near the border with [23:25] Iraq's Kurdistan region in recent weeks [23:28] in what they believe is preparation for [23:30] a possible confrontation with Kurdish [23:32] fighters amid the escalating conflict [23:34] between Iran and the United States. [23:35] Opposition officials say the buildup [23:37] includes roughly 3,000 troops from the [23:39] IRGC's submarine special forces brigade [23:42] along with units from the Guard's ground [23:45] forces and aerospace force. They said [23:47] the troops were deployed in phases to [23:49] border areas over the past several [23:51] weeks. According to Iranian Kurdish [23:53] parties, six fighters from the [23:55] Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan [23:57] were killed in early July in an ambush [24:00] carried out by the IRGC near the city of [24:03] Piranhar in Iran's West Azeran province. [24:07] Another Kurdish grouping, the Kurdistan [24:09] Free Life Party said four of its [24:11] fighters were killed in Mahabad in late [24:13] June. and the Kurdistan Freedom Party [24:15] said one of its members was assassinated [24:17] by Iran in Airbil during the same month. [24:20] Now, I want to the reason I read this [24:22] little passage here is take a look at [24:24] what we have here. We have the Kurdistan [24:26] Free Life Party and the Kurdistan [24:28] Freedom Party. They're not the same. And [24:30] then we have the um the Democratic Party [24:34] of Iranian Kurdistan. That's another [24:36] one. There are [24:40] well, we'll read on. We'll see. We'll [24:41] talk about this a little more. There [24:43] there's too many of these of these [24:44] groups. Since midJune, opposition [24:46] parties said the IRGC has intensified [24:48] operations against local villagers who [24:51] spend the summer moving their livestock [24:52] through the mountainous border region in [24:54] search of grazing land. And on July [24:56] 10th, a young Kurdish shepherd was [24:57] killed by the IRGC right near the [24:59] border. [25:01] Now look, here's here's here's the [25:04] problem. On February 22nd, about a week [25:07] before the outbreak of the war involving [25:09] the United States, Israel, and Iran, six [25:12] prominent Iranian Kurdish organizations [25:15] announced the formation of a political [25:17] and military alliance opposing the [25:19] Islamic Republic. The alliance said its [25:21] objective was to defend what it [25:23] described as the Kurdish people's right [25:24] to self-determination. Now, why are [25:27] there six different Iranian Kurdish [25:30] organizations? [25:32] This is the problem. Okay, God bless the [25:35] Kurds. But you know why they don't have [25:38] an independent state? Because all the [25:40] way back when the Sykes Pico agreement [25:42] was being worked out and the San Remo [25:44] conference after the fall of the Ottoman [25:46] Empire in the 1920s when the British and [25:48] French were carving up the Middle East [25:50] and setting up different countries and [25:52] and and drawing lines on a map and [25:54] creating all these states, the Kurds [25:56] couldn't get their act together because [25:58] they had so much interess and fighting [26:01] that they couldn't decide who [26:02] represented them and they ended up not [26:03] being part of the deal. And this has [26:05] been the undoing of the Kurdish people [26:07] for a long long time. There are, look at [26:10] that, six different anti-Iran Kurdish uh [26:14] uh groups had to make an alliance. But [26:17] then it says Kurdish opposition leaders [26:18] had previously told NBN that the [26:20] alliance has not yet launched [26:21] coordinated military operations inside [26:23] Iran. Its efforts have so far focused on [26:26] political coordination while each party [26:28] continues to conduct its owned armed [26:30] activities and political campaigns [26:32] against the government. They can't get [26:34] their act together. It's part of the [26:36] problem there with them. But you see [26:37] that Iran is building up forces in on [26:40] the Iraqi border. [26:44] And finally, three explosive, this is [26:46] from just a couple of hours ago, folks, [26:49] today. Three explosiveladen drones said [26:52] shot down near the US consulate in [26:54] Iraq's air bill. Three. Right. There you [26:57] go. It was reported by Reuters. U so [27:02] Iraq is heating up as a theater. Iraq is [27:06] very complicated. It's the prime [27:09] minister is in power as a result of [27:12] being acceptable slashchosen [27:15] by some by a Shiite block that is [27:18] actually favorable to Iran. But now he's [27:20] trying to he's trying to get rid of the [27:23] Iranian influence. He's trying to reign [27:25] in the militias without inflaming [27:27] things. [27:29] The Iranians are trying very hard to [27:31] keep Iraq in its orbit and keep it under [27:33] its influence and keep the population [27:35] loyal to it. [27:37] These are the dynamics going on in Iraq. [27:39] And it is one of the it's a very [27:41] important story in in this whole in this [27:44] whole narrative of where the Middle East [27:45] is going. It's very very important. Iraq [27:47] is a huge country. It's a very [27:48] strategically located country. It [27:50] borders on everybody. It borders on [27:51] Turkey and Syria and and and Jordan and [27:54] and Iran and and Azarbaian. It borders [27:57] on everyone. Very strategically located, [28:00] very important, lots of natural [28:01] resources, lots of oil. They also open [28:03] out onto the Gulf, onto the Persian [28:05] Gulf. I mean, Iraq is a very important [28:07] country and it's one of these um it's [28:11] one of these narratives that is [28:12] unfolding as as part of the dominoes [28:14] that are falling with the degradation of [28:17] the Iranian regime that we need to keep [28:19] an eye on. And that's why that's why [28:20] we're on this channel. That's why we [28:22] come to this channel. That's why I do [28:23] what I do to make sure that we are that [28:25] we are we have a comprehensive [28:27] understanding of what's happening in the [28:29] Middle East that we're not just focusing [28:30] on the main ring of the big of the [28:32] circus and and having this kind of [28:34] tunnel vision you know like you watch [28:36] the news it's all Straits of Hormuz [28:37] Straits of Hormuz you know you know [28:39] Donald Trump Iran and we need to make [28:42] sure that we we understand what all the [28:45] different shifting dynamics are and as [28:48] you see if you watch all these videos if [28:50] you're watching my channel you see that [28:53] uh it's very complicated. These [28:55] countries are being pulled in different [28:56] directions. Uh and uh and it's not so [28:59] simple to you know to extract the [29:02] Iranian influence from a country like [29:04] Iraq. So that's it for this one. Thanks [29:06] for watching. Hope it was helpful. [29:08] Please give me uh some comments. I do, [29:10] as you see from the beginning of this [29:12] video, I do read the comments. I find [29:13] them helpful. I appreciate them. I [29:15] appreciate all of you uh for helping [29:18] helping grow this channel. And uh yeah, [29:21] we'll leave it there. God bless.
