With Iran banished, Syria wants Israel out of buffer zone

Speaking in his valedictory press conference days ahead of the second administration of Donald Trump, Blinken hoped the end of the 15-month war would pave the way for regional peace: "Leaders will have to summon the vision and the courage to do that."

"When (Israel) was attacked in an unprecedented way by Iran - hundreds of missiles, hundreds of drones - not only did we come to Israel's active defense for the first time ever, we brought other counties along to do that, including countries in the region."

Blinken was referring to an April 13 attack by Iran which was largely repelled with help from the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.

"Israel now sees powerfully what it stands to gain from greater integration in the region, including a common security architecture ... all can see this is a way to effectively isolate the troublemaker in the region, Iran."

Arab countries in the Persian Gulf are deeply opposed to what they see as Iranian encroachment via its armed religious proxies but largely ended confrontation with Tehran after a stalemated conflict in Yemen with the Iran-aligned Houthis.

The outgoing administration of Joe Biden hoped to build on Arab-Israeli normalization pacts from Trump's first term, but their push for a Saudi-Israeli deal stalled after Palestinian Hamas militants backed by Iran attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

The prisoners include Varisheh Moradi and Pakhshan Azizi, whose death sentences have sparked widespread condemnation from human rights organizations.

These women, previously prohibited from family visits in the summer due to their protests against the Islamic Republic's use of death penalty to silence dissent, had been informed that the visitation ban had been lifted. However, as of Sunday, January 12 this year, they have once again been denied contact with their loved ones.

In addition to the visitation ban, two of these women—Maryam Yahyavi and fellow political prisoner Sakineh Parvaneh—have also been deprived of the right to contact their families by phone.

Hussein said it was unacceptable for armed groups to operate beyond Baghdad's writ.

"Many political parties started to raise a discussion, and I hope that we can convince the leaders of these groups to lay down their arms and then to be part of the armed forces under the responsibility of the government."

The push to rein in the armed factions comes as dynamics shift in the Middle East, including the weakening of Iran's allies in Gaza and Lebanon and the ousting of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

Hussein added that in such efforts as the disarming of militias, the Iraqi government had to walk the tightrope between its ties to both Washington and Tehran.

During Trump's previous presidency, Iraq’s relationships with both the US and Iran were tested, particularly following the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, which led to an Iranian missile attack on an Iraqi base housing US forces.

As Trump prepares to take office, Hussein expressed hope that Iraq could maintain its strong relationship with Washington under the incoming administration.

"We hope that we can continue this good relationship with Washington," Hussein said. "It is too early now to talk about which policy President Trump is going to follow for Iraq or Iran."

Meanwhile, last week, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told the Iraqi prime minister that Tehran-backed militias should be strengthened and the United States must be ejected.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a coalition of Tehran-backed militants, said in a statement last year they would continue their attacks until the Americans are “expelled from the country, forced to submit and are defeated."

"The Iranian authorities’ ongoing repression exemplifies an assault on rights that disproportionately targets women and minorities," said Nahid Naghshbandi, acting Iran researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW). "Yet, unchecked government oppression is deepening public defiance rather than silencing opposition."

Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, had promised voters to stop hijab patrols and violence against women. HRW had urged the president to to address rights abuses in July last year.

However, the HRW World Report 2025, which reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries said that the Iranian government has continued its crackdown on political dissent, arresting activists, lawyers and students while also targeting families of those killed or executed during the nationwide 2022-2023 protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

Many human rights defenders, journalists and dissidents are facing long prison sentences after unfair trials, with many denied basic services, including medical care.

The report added that the Baha'i religious minority, particularly women, has been subjected to intensified persecution, with dozens arrested and sentenced to prison in 2024. Human Rights Watch condemned the repression as a violation of fundamental rights, calling it a "crime against humanity."

The report also shed light on the mistreatment of Kurdish border couriers, known as Kolbars, who face lethal force from authorities while transporting goods between Iran and Iraq.

"The international community should address the escalating repression in Iran and hold Iranian authorities accountable," Naghshbandi added.

Iran, the report continued, was one of the top five countries for executions in 2023, with more than 400 people executed in the first half of 2024 alone.

Trump’s key advisers plan to return to a maximum pressure strategy targeting Tehran, the sources said, starting with a sanctions package targeting major players in the oil industry due as soon as February.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) on Wednesday said the latest US sanctions targeting Russian and Iranian oil could eventually dent their export volumes.

New US sanctions on Iran and Russia announced last Friday target entities responsible for over one-third of Russian and Iranian crude exports in 2024.