According to recent reports, by The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran), the Iranian regime has placed great importance on Iraq over the past couple of decades. After the March 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the Iranian regime has been trying its hardest to include Iraq as its territory.
The use of militias and proxy groups
In the journey towards this goal, the Iranian regime put huge resources into the main elements of power through the use of militias and proxy groups.
However, the internal situation in Iraq has evolved and the people of Iraq are desperate to see the Iranian regime quit meddling in internal affairs.
They, and experts, can see that Iran’s influence and presence in Iraq are the main obstacles to change in Iraq. If it were not for the Iranian regime’s backing of political parties, officials, and militias, the country would already have moved towards progression and prosperity.
It appears that there is a significant presence of a corrupt customs-evasion cartel that is there to divert massive sums away from the state towards political parties, corrupt officials, and armed groups backed by Iran.
These sums amount to billions of dollars. These corrupt parties and individuals are working on behalf of Iran and are jeopardizing the fate of Iraq and making the future very uncertain.
An investigation lasting six months was carried out by AFP staff who consulted with a huge range of people and entities including importers, port workers, customs workers, government officials, and ordinary citizens. This enabled them to get a better grasp on the extent of Iran’s influence in the country. Not surprisingly, many of the participants opted to remain anonymous, fearing for their lives.
The Iraqi finance minister Ali Allawi admitted to AFTF that there is a major collaboration between corrupt businessmen, political parties, officials, and gangs.
Furthermore, less than two years ago, the main opposition to the Iranian regime, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), was able to reveal that the Setad Bazsazi Atabat Aliyat [Holy Shrines’ Reconstruction Headquarters] acted as a cover for the regime’s malign interventions in both Iraq and Syria. Iran’s notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is behind these operations.
A little over a year ago, the United States Treasury Department designated a number of individuals and entities linked to the organization, saying that they are involved with money laundering, the selling of Iranian oil despite sanctions, the smuggling of weapons, the promotion of propaganda efforts and the plundering of public donations and funds to a religious institution and more.
This is one of the regime’s known and well-used tactics. It uses charities or humanitarian organizations, consulates, and embassies to plan and carry out malign interventions abroad. This is certainly the case in Iraq.
For more than a year, the people of Iraq held protests because of the Iran-backed groups present in their country. They pleaded with the government of their country to disarm all of Iran’s militias. This would certainly go a long way towards bringing some sort of tranquillity to the country and helping the people get back on their feet towards a more prosperous future.
MEK Iran (follow them on Twitter and Facebook)
and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube
