There is absolutely no doubt that the sudden listing of Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis on Iraq’s terror list earlier this month was not some technical error.
No one accidentally drops two of Iran’s most prized proxy groups into the terror-designation basket, certainly not in Baghdad, where every move involving armed factions carries political weight. As one diplomat put it, nothing this big ever happens without a political trail.
Theories surfaced immediately. Some suggested the move was a test balloon, floated to see who would panic or rush to defend Hezbollah or the Houthis. Others argued it was a pre-emptive strike aimed at blocking Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani from securing a new term. And then there was the bolder idea: that elements in Iraq’s intelligence apparatus were sending Washington a friendly message, a political preview disguised as bureaucratic chaos.
But beyond the intrigue, one m
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