The Guardian has put out an audio episode called “Iraq’s impossible predicament: why the country is trapped between Iran and the US.” This episode is based on a report by journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad and is told by Mo Ayoub. The audio essay goes into how the sudden breakdown of the long-time difficult balance between Washington, Tehran and other groups, in the region has shown how dangerous Iraqs political and military situation is.
The podcast highlights how escalating regional warfare has directly targeted Iraq’s critical infrastructure, including strategic oilfields around Basra operated by international energy firms like BP, Halliburton, and KBR. Striking drone and missile attacks on foreign-operated facilities and energy export channels have triggered widespread departures of international technical personnel, forced local workers home, and dealt severe blows to Iraq’s primary revenue streams. Local officials quoted in the piece express exhaustion and frustration over the reality that Iraqi-owned, Iraqi-funded infrastructure is bearing the financial and collateral damage of a proxy war waged on its soil.
Central to the discussion is Iraq’s internal power divide. The report details how Iranian-backed paramilitary factions within the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) continue to act autonomously, targeting US positions and energy hubs. Concurrently, prime minister Ali al-Zaidi faces the complex challenge of asserting state sovereignty, having set hard deadlines for militias to disarm and integrate into national defense structures.
The podcast paints a grim portrait of a nation whose airspace and territory are routinely violated by outside powers while institutional corruption and military paralysis leave central authorities unable to defend national borders or sovereignty.
