The U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2021 Annual Threat Assessment asserted that “Iran will remain a problematic actor in Iraq, which will be the key battleground for Iran’s influence… and Iranian-supported Iraqi Shiite militias will continue to pose the primary threat to U.S. personnel in Iraq”. “The Iraqi Government almost certainly will continue to struggle to… control Iranian-backed Shiite militias”, the report added. “Iranian-backed Shiite militias are likely to continue attacks against U.S. targets… to press U.S. forces to leave if the Iraqi Government does not reach an agreement with Washington on a timetable for withdrawal”.