The delay in disarming the Iran-backed militias has raised questions about the Iraqi government’s ability to uphold the country’s sovereignty and maintain a monopoly on the use of force. These groups now threaten to reverse a decade of progress in normalizing Iraq’s relations with its Arab Gulf neighbors, diminishing Baghdad’s hopes of attracting GCC investment (MEES, 27 October 2017).
Iran’s proxies in Iraq have launched multiple attacks on energy infrastructure across the GCC, striking targets in Kuwait, the UAE and most recently Saudi Arabia’s 7mn b/d East-West pipeline. The strategic pipeline was shut down entirely for nearly a week last month, halting flows to the Red Sea port of Yanbu (MEES, 9 October). (CONTINUED - 1083 WORDS)
