Iran is continuing to try to minimize the impact of the ongoing protests in Iraq on Iranian interests in that country (particularly economic interests).
Arab media outlets reported about an additional visit of Qasem Soleimani, the Commander of the Qods Force, to Baghdad, following the resignation of Iraqi Prime Minister, Adel Abdul Mahdi.
In light of the persistent protests in Iraq, Iranian officials continue blaming the West, and particularly the United States and Israel, of fomenting the protests, which are presented by Tehran as a manifestation of a Western conspiracy intended to weaken the “Resistance Axis” in the region.
Protests might impact trade
Meanwhile, fears are growing in Iran concerning the impact of the ongoing protests on the trade between the two countries, in part due to calls by Iraqi citizens to boycott Iranian goods.
On December 10, Iranian media outlets reported that Iraq announced a halt to exporting 17 agricultural goods from Iran. According to the statement of the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture, Iraq banned exporting various agricultural goods, including tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, eggplant, carrot, onion, garlic, lettuce, pumpkin, corn, dates, watermelons, melons, pomegranate and cabbage.
On the other hand, the Iranian Minister of Energy, Reza Ardakanian, announced that Iran will extend the contract concerning export of electricity to Iraq. He remarked that Iran and Iraq signed a three-year agreement to develop Iraq’s electric industry in various fields, and that under this agreement, Iran will continue exporting electricity to Iraq, for as long as Iraq needs it.
