ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s foreign ministry on Saturday condemned as “blatant interference” a proposal from a United States Republican lawmaker to label Iraq’s judiciary chief a "tool of Iranian influence.”
The Washington Free Beacon, a conservative American political journalism platform, on Thursday reported that Florida Representative Michael Waltz was set to introduce an amendment to the foreign appropriations bill that would designate Faiq Zidan, president of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, as “Iranian-controlled assets.”
In a post on X, Waltz claimed that Zidan is “at the center of Iran’s plot to turn Iraq into a client state” and that slapping the label on Zidan would be the first step in dismantling Tehran’s network of control.
Iraq’s foreign ministry announced its “complete rejection” of the statements made by Waltz, saying they undermine the basic rights of the Iraqi state and the judiciary chief’s person.
“The ministry considers these statements to be a blatant interference in Iraqi internal affairs, and stresses that the attempt to influence the judiciary is a violation of the most important components of the state entity, which is responsible for achieving justice, equality, and stability for the country,” read the statement.
The statement was issued hours after acting parliament speaker Muhsin al-Mandalawi called on the ministry to reject the “offensive intervention,” stating that if the amendment were to be passed, it would constitute “a dangerous turning point” in Baghdad-Washington relations.
In 2022, Iraq issued an arrest warrant for former American President Donald Trump over the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
Zidan has stated that the judiciary would not hesitate to take legal measures and hold to account those responsible for the deaths of Soleimani and Muhandis.
Fox News, a conservative American channel, sparked controversy in October after reporting that Zidan was set to visit Washington upon the invitation of the Department of Justice, which rescinded its invitation after “a flurry of Fox News Digital press queries.