Following Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s resignation amidst nationwide protests in Iraq, a senior U.S. diplomat contended that “Iraqis increasingly view Iran as having coopted and exploited Iraq’s political system, its economy and its security at the expense of the Iraqi people, and this has clearly made Iran nervous, so nervous that, once again, Qods force commander [Soleimani] and the Iranian regime’s chief shadow diplomat is… in Baghdad interfering in Iraqi politics”. He went on to maintain that “as Iraqi leaders consider options over the coming days to address the current crisis, their foremost consideration should be meeting the needs of the Iraqi people and rejecting and – the distorting influence Iran has exerted on the political process”. “We call on the government of Iraq to respect the rights of the Iraqi people and urge the government to investigate and hold accountable those who attempt to brutally silence peaceful protesters”, the official added.