The people of Iraq are being affected by the regime’s meddling in their country and over the past few weeks that have made it very clear that they want Iran expelled.

The protests across the country have been significant and the political parties in Iraq have come to the conclusion that the government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi should remain as it is for now. The parties were also in agreement that the protests must end and that reforms should be made.

The leader of the Quds Force, a branch of the notorious Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been involved alongside the Iraqi leaders in the many sessions dealing with the future of the country.

Qasem Soleimani held meetings with Sadrist leader Muqtada Sadr and Ali al-Sistani’s son. The outcome was their support for Abdul Mahdi’s government. Sistani’s office, however, insisted that the senior religious official has not entered into any agreement to keep the government in power.

At the beginning of the weekend, the country’s security forces regained control over several parts of Baghdad that had been blocked by protesters for the best part of a month.

The people of Iraq showed their determination by refusing to disperse. They remained on the streets in protest and spent Saturday and Sunday rallies across the city. The angry Iraqis set fire to government buildings and made it very clear that they will not accept repression. Brutal security forces were sent out and had no choice but to retreat, The Iraqi people were able to regain control over the parts of the city that the state had taken back a few days before.

It became clear that Soleimani’s logic was to crackdown on the protesters and make it clear that an “agreement” had been made to keep the government in place. They expected the Iraqi protesters to disperse, disappointed in the result. Force was also a big part of the strategy – opening fire on the crowds and so on, as well as cutting off access to the internet. The regime clearly believed that the people’s will would be quashed.

When it was clear that this strategy had failed, officials met in Parliament on Sunday evening, with the Quds Force leader being present too. In a blow to the Iranian regime, the Iraqi President, the Prime Minister and the parliament speaker said they would no longer tolerate force being used against the people.

Since then, everything is advancing in the right direction for the people. The United Nations deputy spokesperson spoke about the situation in the country, saying that the right to peaceful protests and freedom of speech must be prioritized. The spokesperson also highlighted that those attacking the demonstrators must be held accountable.

 This is bad news for Iran because it is on the very verge of being evicted. The people of Iraq, just like the people of Iran, have shown their determination to reject the mullahs.