Iran has demonstrated its hold over the future of Iraqi politics, telling Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, to “get rid of America” as he arrived to ask Tehran’s blessing for a second term in office.

By Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent

Source:

18 October 2010

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, left, has an audience with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Photo: AP

Mr Maliki, who is on a tour of Middle Eastern capitals to drum up support for his bid to stay in power, had an audience with Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Two weeks ago, the leadership negotiated backing for Mr Maliki from the militant Shia grouping, the Sadrists, who had previously been deeply opposed to his candidacy.

“The Iraqi nation is vigilant and aggressors cannot dominate this country again,” Mr Khamenei told Mr Maliki, according to a statement put out by his office. “May God get rid of America in Iraq so that its people’s problems are solved.”

Mr Khamenei’s aggressive stance, while seeming to give his blessing to Mr Maliki, whose secular Shia State of Law party came a close second in Iraqi elections in March, will alarm the Americans.

They already face losing their influence after their troops pull out of next year – an outcome that would once have been unthinkable after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the loss of so many American lives.

Now they risk seeing the creation of a government brokered by their greatest rivals in the region.

Iran has not overtly backed Mr Maliki, but officials on Monday said he would be a “suitable” choice.

He still needs the support of one of the three other remaining major factions in parliament to form an overall majority. The nationalist Iraqiya block, which has the support of the minority Sunni community and won most seats in the election, has said it cannot support Mr Maliki at any cost.

Its leader, Ayad Allawi, is in talks with the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, another Shia faction that had been expected to join a State-of-Law led alliance.

Mr Maliki is hoping to win the backing of the Kurdish parties, though they have said they will not join a government that does not include substantial Sunni backing.

Nevertheless Mr Maliki is now favourite to win office, and Mr Allawi, who is close the Americans, showed his fury at seeming to be outmanoeuvred in television interviews on Sunday night.

“I won’t be begging Iran to agree upon my nomination,” he told Al-Arabiya.

He accused Iran of sponsoring terrorism and instability, referring to last week’s visit to Lebanon by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

“We know that unfortunately Iran is trying to wreak havoc on the region, and trying to destabilise the region by destabilising Iraq, and destabilising Lebanon and destabilising the Palestinian issue,” Mr Allawi told CNN.

“And this is where unfortunately Iraq and the rest of the greater Mideast is falling victim to these terrorists, who are definitely Iran-financed and supported by various governments in the region.”

Mr Allawi won 91 seats out of 325 in the election, two more than State of Law.

Though himself Shia, he is thought to have the backing of neighbouring Sunni states such as Saudi Arabia, whose greatest fear is a rising Iran.

They would regard it as a great betrayal of Washington stood aside and allowed Iraq to fall under the influence of Iran. President Bashar al-Asad of Syria, a key Iranian ally but also previously a supporter of Mr Allawi, visited Saudi Arabia at the weekend when a joint approach to Iraq is likely to have been discussed.

The Iranian ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Danaeifar, dismissed Mr Allawi’s comments.

“These comments are old and these friends have made them so many times that nobody listens,” he said.