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Faezeh Rafsanjani, the daughter of late Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, revealed that her father sought an end to the Iran-Iraq war.

He proposed ending the war to then supreme leader Khomeini, but he refused, she revealed in an interview to Asharq television.

Moreover, she revealed that her father sought openness towards Saudi Arabia and backed restoring Irans relations with the United States.

He did not oppose ties with any country, except for Israel, she added.

Rafsanjani, who is a member of the reformist Executives of Construction Party, slammed the ruling conservatives in Iran, saying they are not seeking a nuclear deal with the West because they are actually benefitting from it.

She noted how many conservatives often slam the US and European countries, while their children purse an education in the West.

She doubted that a nuclear deal would be reached during the term of US President Joe Biden, noting that the Iranians and Americans were awaiting the outcome of the US Midterm elections.

Rafsanjanis father had pursued reform in Iran and sought openness with neighboring countries and the West.

His daughter called on her country to be open to the world because few Iranians really support being closed off from it.

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Faezeh Rafsanjani: My Father Tried to Convince Khomeini to End War with Iraq - Asharq Al-awsat - English

Iraq temporarily closed Baghdad airport Monday as choking clouds of dust blanketed the capital, the latest crippling sandstorm in a country that has warned climate change poses an "existential threat".

It was the tenth such storm since mid-April to hit Iraq, which has been battered by intense droughts, soil degradation, high temperatures and low rainfall linked to climate change.

Earlier this month, to mark World Environment Day, President Barham Saleh warned that tackling climate change "must become a national priority for Iraq as it is an existential threat to the future of our generations to come".

The sun eventually reappeared on Monday afternoon, after a thick white dust had covered Baghdad and surrounding areas through the morning, with visibility slashed to a few hundred metres (yards).

Officials at Baghdad airport announced the temporary suspension of flights, before they were restarted at around 10:30 am (0730 GMT).

In Najaf, a Shiite holy city in central Iraq, the airport briefly suspended operations in the morning before reopening a few hours later when the dust passed.

Airports have been forced to suspend flights several times due to sandstorms in recent weeks.

In May, sandstorms sent thousands of people to hospital with respiratory problems, and left one person dead.

Iraq, which is entering the scorching summer season when temperatures at times surpass 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit), is ranked by the United Nations as one of the world's five most vulnerable nations to climate change and desertification.

The environment ministry has warned that over the next two decades Iraq could endure an average of 272 days of sandstorms per year, rising to above 300 by 2050.

The World Bank warned in November that Iraq could suffer a 20 percent drop in water resources by 2050 due to climate change.

Water shortages have been exacerbated by the building of upstream dams in neighbouring Turkey and Iran.

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Iraq swept by tenth sandstorm in weeks - Al-Monitor

The Iraqi Electricity Ministry has begun paying off its debts for gas imports from Iran that were hindered due to the US sanctions on the Islamic Republic since.

Iranian Petroleum Minister Javad Oji said on Wednesday that the country received $1.6 billion of the debts after aspokesman for Iraqi Electricity Ministry, Ahmed Moussa, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) on Tuesday that Baghdad would pay the debt within two days.

The Iraqi spokesman issued a statement stressing the necessity to pay the Iranian gas debts overdue since 2020to prevent a decrease in the quantities of gas flow to the country.

He also thanked Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimifor his care, direct supervision, and the role of the parliament, which understands the countrys dire need of electricity.

US banking sanctions imposed on Iran hindered payments by Iraq although Iran on many occasions announced receipt of payments.

Last Wednesday, the Iraqi parliament passed an emergency finance bill for "food security and development" -- totaling 25 trillion Iraqi dinars, approximately over $17 billion -- to pay debts to Iran to ensure gas supplies and stop worsening power cuts. Of that, $2.6 billion will be allocated to settling Iraq's gas and electricity debts, as well as for buying further energy supplies from abroad.

Despite its immense oil and gas reserves, Iraq remains dependent on imports to meet energy needs, especially from neighboring Iran, which currently provides a third of Iraq's gas and electricity needs.

Iran had demanded Iraq pay $1.6 billion it owes for gas imports by the start of June to guarantee further supplies, as it is cutting or reducing supplies regularly due to its own shortages.

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Iraq Reportedly Starts Paying Its Debts For Gas Imports From Iran -

Members of security forces inspect the scene of an explosion in Baghdad. Reuters

The US two-party system has developed over this period into a competition between warring cultures. Democrats have taken the high road as the party of ideals and positive policies on education, health, and welfare which are designed to benefit the whole society. Republicans have taken the low road as the party of white, largely male grievance with the aim of obstructing efforts to improve the lives of underprivileged white, brown and black citizens. This culture war, which peaked during the Trump administration, has made the US ungovernable.

The current phase of deadlock in the US stems from the refusal of ex-President Donald Trump, his faction in the Republican party and his supporters to concede that he lost the 2020 election to incumbent Joe Biden. Biden, who received 81 million popular votes, clinched victory by winning 306 electoral college votes against 232 for Trump, who garnered 74 million popular votes. The result could not be more conclusive than that. Nevertheless, Trump not only challenged the result with 63 court cases in key states but also urged his backers to mount a violent coup against Congress on January 6th, 2021, ahead of the meeting to formally validate Bidens victory.

Although both these efforts failed, Trump continues to insist the election was stolen and is backed up by lawmakers in the Republican party, which he dominates, and millions of loyalists. Consequently, the Republicans who form a minority in the House of Representatives and hold 50 of the 100 seats in the Senate, have tried to block key Biden legislative initiatives in order to ensure Democrats lose seats in the mid-term elections in November as well as seats and the presidency in 2024.

The Republicans blocking strategy is harming the deeply divided American people as well as Biden who is faced with multiple crises: COVID, mask mandates, climate change, gun rights, high rents, the Ukraine war (for which he is partially responsible) and consequent inflation leading to rising fuel and food prices.

This disruptive strategy has succeeded. Biden entered office with an approval rating of 57 per cent but this has fallen to 39 per cent in latest opinion polls. Trumps rating stands at 43 per cent with an unfavourable rating of 52 per cent. However, his approval rating is 10 points higher than at the time he left office. Analysts say Trump is likely to stand again in 2024.

Last October, Iraq went to the polls to elect a new parliament. Independent-minded Shia cleric Muqtada Al Sadrs party won 73 seats out of 329 while his allies, the Progress Party of former and current assembly speaker, Muhammad Al Halbousi, and the Kurdish Democratic Party led by Masoud Barzani came in second and fourth, with 37 and 31 seats, respectively. While Sadr managed to recruit other parties with 14 seats, a total of 155, in support of a majority rather than a consensus government, he did not gain the 165 needed.

Since Sadrs majority government would exclude the pro-Iranian politicians and militia leaders who lost seats it is hardly surprising that they would do their best to obstruct his plan.

The third largest party, ex-Premier Nouri Al Malikis State of Law, was fourth with 33 seats (a gain of 8 since 2018) but his chief partner, the Fatah coalition of pro-Iranian Shia parties headed by Hadi Al Amiri shrunk from 48 to 31 seats. While claiming it could secure a majority, the opposition also failed to collar deputies for a cabinet minus Sadr and his allies.

They have blocked Sadr by boycotting sessions of parliament, denying him the two-thirds quorum needed to appoint a president. He would name a prime minister who would form a government. This has gone on since parliament met in January and chose Halbousi as speaker. Consequently, Iraq has had for more than a year a caretaker government which serves as a stop-gap cabinet but cannot adopt and implement essential reforms Iraq dearly needs.

Last week, Sadrs deputies resigned their seats and he proclaimed that he and his party were withdrawing from politics due to the corrupt political system.

So far, the opposition has not tried to form a quorum and proceed with choosing a president and prime minister but, according to the constitution, vacant seats are to be filled with the next highest candidates. While the opposition could gain an additional 50 seats, this will not provide a majority.

Populist Sadr who has a large following and a well-armed militia cannot be ignored. He could change his mind about fielding candidates in an early election. He had vowed to stay out of the 2021 contest but ordered his party to campaign and won the most seats.

Having itself had a broken political system for decades, the US imposed a sectarian colonial divide-and-rule system on Iraq although a similar model has led to two civil wars and total dysfunction in Lebanon.

Under the Iraqi system, the president must always be a Kurd, the prime minister a Shia, and assembly speaker a Sunni. Senior cabinet portfolios are distributed among sectarian factions.

This has produced paternalism, patronage, and massive corruption in governance, the administration, security services and armed forces.

To make matters worse, the Bush administration empowered Iraqi Shia exiles who were, and remain, loyal to Iran which has heavily influenced Iraqi politics since 2003-2004. Iraqs first post-war prime minister, Nuri Al Maliki, marginalised the Sunni Arab community, prompting disaffected Sunnis to join Al Qaeda and Daesh.

By calling for a secular government, Sadr had hoped to break the grip of sectarianism, end the influence of both Iran and US in Iraqs domestic affairs, and tackle corruption. He has adhered to the line of young Iraqis who, in October 2019, began protesting mismanagement, graft, sectarianism and foreign interference. It remains to be seen how his latest move impacts the system and whether young Shias will return to the streets demanding regime change.

If the weak Biden administration refuses to re-enter the 2015 agreement to limit Irans nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions, Iran will tighten its grip on Iraq and other allies in the Eastern Arab World, maintaining long-term rivalries and instability in this fragile region.

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US has imposed divide-and-rule system on Iraq - Gulf Today

Sheikhkan village, 20 June 2022 There was a knock at the door. It cracked open, and 64-year-old Abdi peered out from behind it. His eyes glowed when he saw Salar and Adil standing at the gate. Come in, come in, brothers, said Abdi, leading them into his home with a big smile on his face.

Salar and Adil have visited me so many times that they have become part of the family, he explains.

The two are part of the International Organization for Migration's (IOM) Duhok-based Mobile Medical Team (MMT) a service designed to deliver essential medicine and health care to vulnerable populations across Iraq. Abdi and his family were displaced during the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) conflict in 2014. The family now lives in Sheikhkan, a remote village nestled in the western region of Iraqi Kurdistans Sheikhan district in Duhok Governorate.

Salar and Adil have been in touch with Abdi on a daily basis for almost six months. They met in early January 2022, when the medical centre in Sheikhkan referred Abdi to Salars team because he was coughing up blood and phlegm, and constantly vomiting.

I didnt know what it was. I felt sick to my stomach. I lost my appetite whatever I ate, I would immediately throw it up. In a few weeks, I went from 76 kg to just over 40 kg, Abdi recalls of the first few weeks before he was referred to the MMT.

Having seen such symptoms before, Salar a nurse by training and IOM Iraqs tuberculosis (TB) focal point in Duhok Governorate had a strong suspicion about what was ailing Abdi. He immediately transported Abdi and his wife to the TB centre in Duhok city for urgent examination. Sure enough, Abdi tested positive for TB.

Iraq has one of the highest rates of TB in the Middle East and North Africa. Since 2014, the ISIL crisis and subsequent military operations to retake the areas under ISIL control further deteriorated the capacity to manage TB across the country.

The humanitarian situation in the country continues to be volatile, and over 1 million people remain in displacement, with around 180,000 still living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs).

There are six districts in Duhok Governorate, but only four TB management centres. Sheikhan district home to many IDPs and vulnerable host communities doesnt currently have an active TB management facility.

Although TB is curable, Abdis case was particularly challenging due to his diabetes and heart problems.

This is a problem for a patient with TB because sometimes, the TB medication may interfere with his heart or diabetes medicine. Patients have to be on a very rigorous and continuous treatment course for it to be effective, explains Salar.

Another issue is that since the patient is diabetic, he cannot eat many types of foods that are very important for a patient because they need to go on the TB medication course.

Nevertheless, Abdi made a remarkable recovery in a mere six months. When I first saw him, he was very weak. Now, he has regained his weight, he is healthy, his diet is in order, and he will soon be fully recovered, Salar goes on.

Taking all these different medications is hard one affects the other, and they give me different pains but I know it is necessary and that I need to go through with it to get over TB, says Abdi.

My coughing has stopped, there is no blood or phlegm, and I have regained my strength. I can eat normally without fear of vomiting; I am just under 70 kg now. I am really grateful for all the support IOM's MMT has provided me. They have been with me one way or another every single day for the past six months.

Though Abdi can now count himself among those across the country in recovery from TB, there are still many who require life-saving assistance including IDPs living in camps and informal sites, those experiencing secondary displacement, recent returnees, refugees, and host community members.

We have over 60,000 IDPs and over 60,000 refugees in camps in Duhok, not including those from the host communities that we cover, and this is a huge area. It has been easy doing surveillance and contact tracing in the camps because there are frequent awareness-raising campaigns and mass screenings to look for suspected cases, Salar notes.

But there are so many locations that we simply cannot get to because they are in remote areas and since we already have a large number of cases to deal with in the camps and certain communities.

IOM maintains seven MMTs in five crisis-affected governorates with high numbers of IDPs, returnees and vulnerable host community members: Ninewa, Duhok, Kirkuk, Salah al-Din and Anbar. Due to a high number of cases, Duhok Governorates Khanke camp has become a hot spot for TB, Salar tells us.

IOMs MMT in Duhok and other locations assist Iraqs National Tuberculosis Program (NTP) in implementing activities to curb TB, including through awareness-raising campaigns, initial screening, sputum sample collection, presumptive TB case transportation for investigation, contact tracing, Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) interventions, food package distribution, and TB treatment follow up.

IOM also supports the NTP with joint supervision visits to all NTP clinics across Iraq, on-the-job training for lab staff, procurement of TB medication and laboratory supplies, updating and printing guidelines, providing Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) and Infection Protection and Control (IPC) materials, providing diagnostics tools such as GeneXpert machines, capacity-building trainings and more.

Efforts by the NTP and IOM to curb the spread of TB have been fruitful in treating thousands of patients across Iraq since 2017, when the Global Fund started supporting the Government of Iraqs programme, but more needs to be done.

This includes increasing the number of MMTs across the country to widen the geographic coverage and deal with cases among vulnerable populations in camps, returnee communities, and host communities; increasing TB management units and opening diagnostic centres in each governorate (currently there are 135 functional TB management units in Iraq); making more TB medication supplies available; and organizing more mass awareness-raising campaigns.

TB is a curable illness. Steps like these would lead to more patients like Abdi being saved.

IOMs TB response in Iraq is possible thanks to the support ofthe Global Fund.

Written by Raber Y. Aziz with IOM Iraq

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I Have Regained My Strength: More Must Be Done to Curb Tuberculosis in Iraq - Iraq - ReliefWeb