Masjedi is the third Iranian ambassador to Baghdad to come from the Revolutionary Guard.
Mazen al-Zaydi, the editor-in-chief of Iraq's al-Mada, said in an interview with Al-Monitor, “All Iranian ambassadors to Iraq, appointed since the occupation of Iraq, have two things in common. First, they have Iraqi origins and were deported by Saddam Hussein’s regime in the 1970s under the pretext of having Iranian origins. Second, they all have a military background and belong to the Quds Force, which plays regional roles in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.”
Zaydi considers this point an indication that “Iran continues to view Iraq as a confrontation line, threatening its national security. Iran is involved in the war in Syria. Thus, appointing a military ambassador goes in line with the nature of the challenges it is facing in the region.”
Masjedi’s appointment comes at a time of possible clashes between the new US administration under Donald Trump and Iran, especially in the post-IS period.
Notably, Masjedi believes that Iraq and Syria serve as a buffer zone for Iran’s security. “The hypocrite extremist groups seek to destroy the sacred Shiite shrines. IS wanted to control Aleppo and Mosul in order to wage attacks on the borders with Iran,” Masjedi said in mid-January.
Zaydi added that most of the diplomats assigned to Iraq have military backgrounds, including the ambassadors from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The Iraqi authorities must work to find a solution to prevent Iraq from turning into an arena for the military representatives of regional countries.
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