Iraqi leaders face balancing act as Iran conflict exposes deep rifts

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · Apr 03, 2026 · 1602 words · By Ghaith Abdul-Ahad

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Iraqi leaders face balancing act as Iran conflict exposes deep rifts

Of all the countries being pulled into the US-Israeli war on Iran, it is Iraq – a country that still bears the emotional and physical scars of the last time the Americans tried to reshape the region by force – where the conflict has exposed some of the…

Claims checked 19

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left14%

Center72%

Right14%

7 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The war is dividing those who see the attacks on Iran as a way to end Tehran’s longstanding influence over Iraqi politics from the self-declared loyalists of the Islamic republic, and cutting through state institutions, armed forces and Shia Islamist parties.

Common ground

Exacerbating tensions is the fact that the war has struck during a precarious power vacuum in Iraq after the caretaker leader Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, whose coalition won the largest share of seats in November’s parliamentary elections, stepped aside.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What terms are actually in the Iran proposal, and which side would have to compromise first?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Of all the countries being pulled into the US-Israeli war on Iran, it is Iraq where the conflict has exposed some of the deepest rifts?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/03/iraq-deep-rifts-balancing-act-iran…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 19 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 9

help Insufficient Evidence 7

verified Verified By Reference 3

help

Claim 1: “Of all the countries being pulled into the US-Israeli war on Iran, it is Iraq where the conflict has exposed some of the deepest rifts.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 2: “The Coordination Framework's distancing from militant factions was due to US pressure to avoid attacks on US interests.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 3: “The PMU (Popular Mobilisation Units) is an institution that operates according to its own agenda despite being theoretically part of the official army.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 4: “The US embassy in Baghdad’s green zone has been attacked repeatedly and it warned that pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq might attack other parts of the city in the coming days.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 5: “The group has claimed responsibility for scores of drone and missile attacks on targets in Iraq and neighbouring countries, such as the US base in Erbil and Camp Victoria near Baghdad international airport.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it verified by reference based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Axis of Resistance is an informal Iran-led military coalition that operates across West Asia. It currently unites a variety of non-state armed groups aligned with Iranian state interests and commi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_of_Resistance

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Islamic Front for the Iraqi Resistance (Arabic: الجبهة الإسلامية للمقاومة العراقية - جامع, romanized: al-Jabha el-Islamiya lil-Moqawama al-Iraqiya, JAMI), also known as the Islamic Resistance in I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Front_for_the_Iraqi_Re…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI; Arabic: المقاومة الإسلامية في العراق, romanized: al-Muqāwamah al-Islāmīyah fī al-ʻIrāq) refers to an informal network of Iranian-backed Shia Islamist factions in I…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_Resistance_in_Iraq

schedule

Claim 6: “US envoy Tom Barrack and Trump's social media post criticized Iraq's handling of security threats.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “Iraqi leaders have been trying to continue their balancing act, on one hand denouncing the killing of Khamenei and sending official condolences, while on the other rejecting attempts by Tehran to drag Iraq into the conflict.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 8: “A looming financial disaster hangs over Iraq as a consequence of the crisis over the strait of Hormuz and the loss of oil revenue, which accounts for more than ᾷ of Iraq's economy.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 9: “The Iraqi government had sought to pursue an 'Iraq first' policy, largely staying out of the post-7 October wars convulsing the region.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 10: “The axis of resistance suffered its most serious defeat after the 7 October attacks when Israeli jets killed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 11: “Kataib Hezbollah is also suspected to have been responsible for the abduction of a US reporter, Shelly Kittleson, late on Tuesday.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 12: “The withdrawal of Nouri al-Maliki's nomination was due to US pressure to avoid attacks on US interests.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 13: “In response, unclaimed airstrikes that have been widely attributed to US and Israeli forces have hit positions across the country, including in Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 14: “The war is dividing those who see the attacks on Iran as a way to end Tehran’s longstanding influence over Iraqi politics from the self-declared loyalists of the Islamic republic.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it verified by reference based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — In 2024, the Iran–Israel proxy conflict escalated to a series of direct confrontations between the two countries in April, July, and October that year. On 1 April, Israel bombed an Iranian consulate c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Iran–Israel_conflict

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Iran–Iraq War began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran in September 1980. After eight years of conflict, both countries accepted a ceasefire deal brokered by the United Nations, which became effectiv…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran–Iraq_War

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Iran war has involved Iraq, where Iranian forces and allied militias conducted missile and drone strikes against coalition facilities and targeted areas in Baghdad and Kurdistan Region.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_in_the_2026_Iran_war

schedule

Claim 15: “The 'axis of resistance' includes groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, united against Western influence.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 16: “In Mosul, videos were purported to show attack helicopters firing on checkpoints, while Iraqi army units were struck by as yet unknown forces in the western desert.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 17: “The war has struck during a precarious power vacuum in Iraq after the caretaker leader Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stepped aside.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it verified by reference based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — On April 12, 2025, Iran and the United States began a series of negotiations aimed at reaching a nuclear peace agreement, following a letter from U.S. president Donald Trump to Iranian supreme leader …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025–2026_Iran–United_States_n…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Beginning on 28 February 2026, the governments of the United States under Donald Trump and Israel under Benjamin Netanyahu launched coordinated joint attacks on various sites in Iran, which started t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reactions_to_the_2026_Iran_war

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — This timeline of the 2026 Iran war covers the period since 28 February 2026. The war is ongoing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_the_2026_Iran_war

schedule

Claim 18: “The Pentagon has said helicopters have carried out strikes against pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq during the war.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 19: “The frequency of attacks had declined in recent days after Kataib Hezbollah declared a pause. But the group did not announce an extension on Wednesday night when the pause expired.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it insufficient evidence based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.