00:00Right, and you're making it sound a bit like the case in Lebanon, where the Trump administration has made these demands.
00:08Well, there are similarities. There are similarities.
00:12Tell us about that.
00:13There are similarities, but the situation in Iraq is much deeper.
00:17You have one Hezbollah in Lebanon. You have dozens of Hezbollah in Iraq.
00:24And President Trump's special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, was in Baghdad at the weekend.
00:29I mean, he brought quite a lot of messages with him.
00:32And according to reports, one of the things he said was that there was going to be a new and imminent IDF, so Israeli operation against Hezbollah.
00:42And I wonder if he's telling his hosts in Baghdad that, to try to change their calculations with regards to their relationship with Iran and groups like Hezbollah.
00:53Well, there is a great deal of goodwill toward Iraq, Iraqi government, by the Gulf state, by the Arab countries, its neighbors, the international community, the United States,
01:08really to keep Iraq out of the regional escalations or conflict.
01:15And the Iraqi government, to its credit, I think, has done some good work recently to keep the country away from Israeli-Iranian conflict or confrontations or not to be indulged in this regional conflict.
01:35But there are times that you have to make decisions.
01:39Where do you stand?
01:41What is the best interest of yours?
01:43The visits of Tom Barack, who is the envoy, the ambassador to Turkey, and the envoy of President Trump to Syria and Lebanon, I think was very significant to carry this message personally to the Iraqi leadership,
01:59to stay away from Hezbollah in Lebanon in terms of financing whatsoever, not to be involved in any regional escalation.
02:12If you do, then the United States has its options.
02:17It may lift its embargo or its veto on the Israelis not to attack the PMF.
02:27This is what we heard from the media personally.
02:30We are not at those meetings, but I think his message was loud and clear that Iraq should be neutral, should look after itself, should expedite its work to form its new government after the elections,
02:48and not to be involved in any foreign adventures.
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