During his tour of Iraq and Lebanon, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council succeeded in pushing the Iraqi government, formed by the ‘Coordination Framework’ bloc—which itself stems from factions constituting the Popular Mobilization Forces linked organically to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard—to sign a joint security treaty with Iran. This treaty increases Iraq’s alignment with Iranian security and political interests on Iraqi soil. Despite the United States’ rejection voiced by Secretary of State and National Security Council Chairman Marco Rubio, the government led by Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani bypassed this, emphasizing the Iraqi government’s freedom to make sovereign decisions based on Iraq’s interests. This marks the first time Sudani’s government has clashed with the United States.

Previously, a balance was maintained between Iranian and American influence within the government, but this time the Iraqi government lost the margins it had to maneuver quietly or otherwise between the sometimes competing influences.