Trump Threatens Iraq with Severe Sanctions if US Troops are Expelled

According to US President Donald Trump, if Iraq decides to expel American troops or takes hostile actions, the sanctions against Iran will seem "tame" to Baghdad. US President Donald Trump promised to put "very big sanctions on Iraq" if "there's any hostility" from Baghdad against the United States. He stated this to reporters on Monday night, January 6. In particular, it is about the requirement to withdraw American troops from the country. According to him,  Iranian sanctions will seem "somewhat tame" to Baghdad in comparison with the new restrictive measures against Iraq. In addition, the United States will not withdraw the troops until Baghdad pays back for the facilities, including a military air base built with funds from the United States, the American president said. The Iraqi parliament at an extraordinary session on January 5 voted for breaking the agreement on a Coalition to Defeat the "Islamic State" terrorist group. By this decision, the foreign military presence in Iraq should be terminated. After the parliamentary vote, the Iraqi government is already developing steps and legal measures to expel US troops from the country. The U.S. State Department was disappointed in Iraq's decision and asked the Iraqi government to reconsider it, taking into account the importance of an ongoing economic and security relationship between the two countries, and since it is in the shared interests of the United States and Iraq to continue fighting ISIS together. Currently, there are about 5,000 American soldiers in the country. Also, Trump again promised a serious retaliation to Iran if it launches attacks in response to the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani. He also confirmed readiness to attack Iranian cultural heritage sites.   Berlin criticizes Trump's statement on Iraq German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on this occasion that threatening Iraq with sanctions in response to Iraq's parliamentary decision is "not very helpful". According to Maas, the dialogue with Baghdad should be based not on threats, but arguments. According to him, on Monday, January 6, Germany, Britain and France will discuss the nuclear deal with Iran. Tensions are high in the region after Trump called for a drone strike that killed a top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on January 3 in the area of ​​Baghdad International Airport. Soon after his death, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced Major General Ismail Qaani as Soleimani's successor. According to Khamenei’s statement, objectives of Al-Quds "will remain unchanged".