In an interview with Al-Jazeera TV, Thamir al-Tamimi, general advisor of the Iraqi Awakening Councils, said: We suddenly faced an enemy in Iraq who was much more dangerous than the U.S. Iranian regime’s meddling could be seen everywhere in Iraq. The U.S. will leave Iraq some day, but Iran won’t leave Iraq. Iran’s threat is a historic one, much more than US. Presently the Iranian regime has made geographical changes in Iraq and hundreds of thousands have become citizens of Iraq. If US leaves Iraq, no problem would be solved, rather it would pave the way for Iran’s influence.US departure would be to the benefit of the Iranian regime and not the Iraqis.

Thamir al-Tamimi said: US departure from Iraq doesn’t solve Iraq’s problem, rather it makes the arena for more Iranian influence; we are the combatants of the scene. US departure from Iraq would be in Iranian regime’s favor and not in the Iraqis’.