Iraq condemns US congressman’s comments against its judiciary chief

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry condemns as “blatant interference” the latest remarks by a US congressman to call Faiq Zidan, head of the country’s Supreme Judicial Council, as a “tool of Iranian influence” in Iraq. 

The ministry in a statement on Saturday announced its “complete rejection” of the comments made by US Congressman Mike Waltz against head of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) Faiq Zidan, saying they undermine the basic rights of the Iraqi state and the judiciary chief’s person.

“The ministry considers these statements to be a blatant interference in Iraqi internal affairs, and stresses that the attempt to influence the judiciary is a violation of the most important components of the state entity, which is responsible for achieving justice, equality, and stability for the country,” read the statement.

In a post on X, Waltz re-tweeted a US media report about him preparing to label the SJC and its president Zidan “Iranian-controlled assets” via a legislative move by submitting a draft law amendment that includes a clause to back up his claim.

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Meanwhile, the Iraqi parliament's acting speaker Mohsen al-Mandalawi called on the Foreign Ministry to reject the “offensive intervention,” noting that Iraq, as a sovereign country, builds its relations with all countries “upon mutual respect.”

Mandalawi stated that if the amendment were to be passed, it would constitute “a dangerous turning point” in Baghdad-Washington relations.

In 2022, Iraq issued an arrest warrant for former US president Donald Trump over the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), and their companions in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on January 3, 2020.

Zidan has stated that the Iraqi judiciary would not hesitate to take legal measures and hold to account those responsible for the deaths of the two exemplary anti-terror commanders.

Both commanders were highly revered across West Asia because of their key role in fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the region, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

On January 8, 2020, the IRGC targeted the US-run Ain al-Asad base in Iraq’s western province of Anbar with a wave of missile attacks in retaliation for the assassination of General Soleimani.

According to the Pentagon, more than 100 American forces suffered “traumatic brain injuries” during the counterstrike on the base.

Iran has described the missile attack on Ain al-Assad as a “first slap.”

Two days after the attack, Iraqi lawmakers approved a bill that required the government to end the presence of all foreign military forces led by the US in the country.

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