Al-Monitor sought commentary from several parliament members, but all refused to comment on Masjedi’s appointment.
Homma Amin, a parliament member for the Kurdistan Alliance, called his appointment an “internal Iranian affair,” saying, “We do not have a problem with Masjedi or any other person. We are concerned about the Iraqi blocs that fear to antagonize Iran and that have yet to comment on this issue.”
According to the Kurdish Rudaw media outlet, which has ties to the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Masjedi is an intermediary between it and its rival Kurdish party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, headed by Jalal Talabani.
Kurdish media outlets quoted Nazem Dabbagh, a representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in Tehran, as saying, “The choice of Masjedi for this position reflects the interest of Iran in Iraq and in the political parties in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region. This step has clearly been made to serve Iran’s agenda.”
Abdullah Akraa, the head of relations with Iran for the KRG, described Masjedi as “a moderate person whose relations with Kurds go back 30 years.”
Regarding Iraq's Sunni political parties, which view Iran as a threat, Atheel al-Nujaifi, the former governor of Ninevah province and head of the Ninevah Guard, said Jan. 12, “There is no doubt that appointing Masjedi, who is a top adviser to commander Qasem Soleimani, as an ambassador to Iraq has implications that go beyond the diplomatic scope of work.”
He added, “Masjedi’s military experience and ties with the armed factions in Iraq and Syria will affect the type of relations he holds in Iraq as well as the relations between the two countries, at a time the region is getting ready to start a new chapter in the post-Islamic State [IS] period.”
Comments are closed.