Iraq is a sovereign country. It should not be used as a stage for the political theater of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Reports that funeral ceremonies for Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei are expected to pass through Iraq, including Najaf and Karbala, should alarm anyone who still believes Iraq’s state institutions must answer first to the Iraqi people. According to regional reporting, Iranian officials announced plans for ceremonies in Iraq before Khamenei’s burial in Mashhad, while other reports said Iraqi authorities and local institutions were preparing for the procession.
This is not simply about mourning. Najaf and Karbala are sacred cities for millions of Shiite Muslims around the world. Iraqis have every right to practice their faith, mourn privately, and welcome religious visitors. But there is a major difference between religious freedom and the use of Iraqi public institutions, security services, and official platforms to honor the leader of a foreign regime.
That difference matters because Iraq has already paid a terrible price for foreign interference. Since 2003, Tehran has built influence inside Iraq through political parties, armed factions, economic networks, and religious symbolism. Iran does not need to occupy Iraq when it can shape decisions through Iraqi institutions themselves.
For ordinary Iraqis, this is not an abstract debate. They see a state that often fails to provide electricity, jobs, clean water, and accountable government. Yet, when Tehran calls, the machinery of the Iraqi state appears ready to move. That contrast is painful. Iraqi citizens are told to wait for basic services, but foreign power receives ceremony, protection, and coordination.
For the United States, this should also be a warning. Washington has spent years and billions of dollars supporting Iraqi security forces and institutions. The goal was supposed to be a stable, independent Iraq capable of defending itself and resisting extremist threats. But if those same institutions are used to serve Iran’s political narrative, then American policy needs a serious reassessment.
The question is not whether Iraq should have relations with Iran. Neighbors must deal with each other. The question is whether Iraq’s government can draw a clear line between diplomacy and submission.
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A sovereign Iraq should not become the funeral route of the Islamic Republic. It should not allow Tehran to turn Iraqi holy cities into symbols of Iranian state power. And it should not ask Iraqi citizens to accept foreign domination wrapped in religious language.
The real test of Iraq’s sovereignty is not what its leaders say in speeches. It is whether Iraqi institutions serve Baghdad or Tehran. If Iraq hosts the Islamic Republic’s farewell as an official state affair, it sends a dangerous message: Iran’s leader may be gone, but Iran’s grip on Iraq remains alive.
Heyrsh Abdulrahman is a Washington based senior intelligence analyst, former Kurdistan Regional Government official, and federal consultant whose work focuses on Middle East security, Iranian strategy, and regional political affairs. His research and commentary have appeared in major U.S. newspapers and international media outlets.