Bloomberg quotes Rafik Hariri Center Nonresident Fellow Ramzy Mardini on Iran’s role in the ongoing crisis in Iraq:
Soleimani retains close ties with all Iraq’s Shiite leaders, said Ramzy Mardini, a Jordan-based non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council research group.“When Soleimani demands a particular action to be taken, it’s difficult for Shiite parties to ignore those demands,” Mardini said by phone last week. Iran “has ways of punishing actors should they choose not to comply,” he said.