Israeli pressure stopped countries from selling arms to Iraq, say Iraqi officials

Israel exerted pressure on a number of Asian and European countries to obstruct the completion of an arms deal for Iraq, sources in Baghdad told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The deal would have seen Iraq purchase surface-to-air missile systems, early sensor systems, and various military equipment, three Iraqi sources told The New Arab’s Arabic-language service.

Earlier this year, the Iraqi defence ministry submitted a recommendation to the government calling on it to develop the country’s monitoring and response capabilities amid rising tensions in the region over the Gaza war and its regional spillovers.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq – a country rocked by decades of conflict and instability since the 2003 US-led invasion – have repeatedly fired drones at Israel and targeted bases in Iraq hosting US forces since the start of the Gaza war on 7 October 2023.

Iraq had planned to stock up on weapons and further enhance its military shortly after the war erupted, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed report says, with a budget of $2.4 billion allocated for this.

But despite only two months left in 2024, the country is yet to sign any arms deals.

An official at the defence ministry and two lawmakers told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Iraq had information that Israel was exercising influence on decision-makers who Iraq had approached to finalise arms deals.

"Due to Western sanctions imposed on Russia, especially with regards to selling arms, Iraq had recently turned to six European and Asian countries to obtain air defence systems," one official said.

He added Iraq had obtained "information about [Israeli] pressures at various levels within the countries Iraq approached, to obstruct [Iraq] from obtaining weapons and advanced air defence systems."

"Earlier this year, one European country offered us unadvanced air defence technologies dating back to the 1990s that could be easily penetrated, and Iraq completely rejected them," the official added.

An Iraqi MP, who requested to remain anonymous, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the three main countries Iraq spoke to about purchasing the air defence systems were France, Italy and Germany, but said talks had reached a dead end.

Despite the Israeli pressure and the attempts to stop Iraq from possessing such capabilities, member of the ruling coalition and MP Moeen al-Kadhimi said Iraq could turn to South Korea after talks with France repeatedly failed.

But Seoul will only provide the first batch next year, despite the systems purchased being less advanced than "those in other countries in the region."

A member of the parliamentary security and defence committee, Waad al-Qaddo pointed the finger at the US, accusing it of "preventing the import of some anti-aircraft missiles, which constitutes a major obstacle to Iraq."

Retired general and Iraqi military affairs expert Imad Allo echoed those remarks, also blaming the US.

"The United States took it upon itself not to develop the capabilities of the Iraqi army after 2003, in order to prevent any threats to the Zionist entity [Israel]. Therefore, the United States is the one that controls the military capabilities of the countries in the region," including supplying weapons to Iraq, he told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

"Some neighbouring countries, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iran, oppose arming the Iraqi military, especially its aerial capabilities," he added.