- We defended Iran from ISIS, not the other way around
- People say Iraq is controlled by America, yet the militias receive Iranian support freely and attack the U.S. embassy

Iraqi researcher Ghaleb Al-Shabandar said in a January 2, 2022 interview on Zagros TV (Iraqi Kurdistan) that people claim that Iraq is controlled by the Americans, but that there are openly anti-American TV channels in Iraq, that anti-American opinions are represented in Iraq’s parliament, that Iraq has still been receiving weapons from Iran, that Qasem Soleimani had still operated in Iraq, and that the PMU and other militias operate freely, all despite American “control.” 

Al-Shabandar also criticized Iran for selling Iraq overpriced weapons, for cutting off gas to Iraq, and for causing Iraq’s electricity crisis. He said that Iraq has been defending Iran from ISIS, and not the other way around. 

In addition, Al-Shabandar said that attempts to forcibly reconquer territory in Palestine have only resulted in the Palestinians losing more and more land and that only negotiations have resulted in regaining land, as had been the case with Sadat and the Sinai Peninsula.