ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - US President Donald Trump told Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani that he was grateful for the Iraqi people given their role in securing swing states during the November presidential elections, Iraq’s parliamentary speaker said on Saturday.

“I was present in the call … Trump said I am grateful to the Iraqis and they have a favor on me because they raised my stocks in the swing states,” Mahmoud al-Mashhadani said in a televised interview on Saturday.

Addressing a question by Trump regarding Iraq’s relationship with Iran, Mashhadani said to have responded that “Iran is an Islamic neighbor and cannot be eliminated. We exchanged common interests and benefits with them. During times of disasters, one helps the other. We have no problem with Iran. We are a country that has the right to establish relations … Iraq must be moderate.”

Sudani held a phone call with US President Donald Trump shortly after his reelection in November, during which Trump expressed his desire to work positively with Baghdad and meet with the Iraqi premier to enhance bilateral relations and “advance their shared priorities,” according to a statement from Sudani’s office..

A recent White House memo emphasized stricter measures against Iran, which has fueled calls within the US political establishment to sever financial support for Iraqi entities suspected of transferring funds to Iran and impose sanctions on key institutions. Iraqi state-owned Rafidain Bank has been singled out due to allegations that it enables money transfers to Iran and Iran-backed armed groups. 

There have been reports of international calls, mainly from the US, on Baghdad to disarm and dissolve armed groups not operating under the umbrella of Iraqi state forces, including the Iraqi government-linked and Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).

However, during such a significant phone call, Mashhadani said that Trump did not bring up Iraq’s armed factions or the PMF. 

Iraq has been caught up in the midst of the tensions between regional powerhouse Iran and the United States as a global superpower for years now, facing increasing pressure from the US over its ties with the Islamic Republic.

Recently passed controversial laws

The parliamentary speaker went on to talk about the controversial Personal Status Law recently passed by the Iraqi parliament.

Mashhadani detailed that they were “subjected to tremendous pressure” after some members of the Iraqi parliament briefed the Security Council that the law “includes the marriage of minors and women's rights are diminished in the amendment to the law.”

“This is not present in the law,” he added.

The recently passed amendment to the Personal Status Law would allow couples to choose their religious sect — Shiite or Sunni — when entering into a marriage contract. If the couple cannot agree on a sect, the husband's sect would be applied. Critics argue that this provision could undermine civil rights, particularly for women and girls.

The amendments, primarily supported by male Shiite MPs, is justified by its proponents as a measure to “protect” young girls and reduce divorce rates, but it has faced backlash for potentially legalizing child marriage.

The parliamentary speaker added that he was pressured by the United Nations “personally”, however he said to have asked for them to specify the points objected to, and they did not find anything.

“The United Nations said that the confusion that reached us was due to the Iraqi media,” he said.

Regarding the general amnesty law, Mashhadani said that the law “is called the conditional amnesty law, not general amnesty, and we set conditions in it: We do not criminalize the innocent nor acquit the criminal.” 

The amnesty law redefines the concept of affiliation to terrorism, through which the cases of many in Iraq will become easier to resolve. The law could save the lives of scores of innocent people from the country’s prisons, but could also lead to the release of the guilty, too, if not implemented properly.

Mashhadani added that “the committee will determine who is included in the pardon and will be re-investigated… and when it is confirmed that they have been wronged, they will be referred to court to for retrial.” 

Mashhadani went on to say that only “10 percent” of those released by the General Amnesty Law are Sunnis, and that “most of them are Shiites.” 

The Iraqi Federal Supreme Court confirmed the “constitutionality” of the laws last week after temporarily suspending the implementation of the laws previously, following a coalition of 10 lawmakers filing legal complaints to the top court.

The laws were ratified by Iraqi president Abdul Latif Rashid on Thursday.