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On May 14, 2023, Jordan’s Independent Election Commission renewed the license of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party[1] which was revoked when the political party was outlawed in Iraq with the collapse of the regime of Saddam Hussein. The decision sparked outrage among the Iran-backed Shi'ite militias in Iraq, due to their longstanding hatred of the Ba’ath Party which oppressed the Shi'ites under Saddam Hussein’s rule.[2] These militias are demanding that the Iraqi government cut ties with Jordan and take punitive political and economic measures against it.
The following is a review of the responses of the Iran-backed Shi'ite militias in Iraq to the decision made by the Jordanian authorities:
On May 25, 2023, on his Twitter account, Ali Al-Asadi, the chairman of the Iraqi Al-Nujaba Movement militia's political bureau, condemned the Jordanian decision and asserted that it justifies the position taken by the resistance in the past, which opposed cooperation with Jordan, particularly in the economic sphere, i.e. regarding the Basra-Aqaba oil pipeline, and also opposed the Iraqi government which, he claims, prefers "the instructions of the American occupation" to the national interests of Iraq. Al-Asadi urged the Iraqi government to cut ties with Jordan and to respond in kind to its decision by hosting Jordanian opposition elements on Iraqi territory. He further accused Jordan of "sectarianism, the export of terrorists, and of holding celebrations in their honor while they were ripping the bodies of Iraqis to shreds.” It is possible that Al-Asadi is referring to Jordanian jihadis such as Abu Mus'ab Al-Zarqawi who were active in the past against Shi'ites in Iraq.[3]
On May 26, 2023, the Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades militia also published a statement condemning the decision made by Jordan's election commission, which it said was made “in accordance with instructions from its [Jordan’s] American and Zionist masters. The statement claims that for two decades the Jordanian regime has maintained a policy hostile to Iraq that supported the Ba'ath Party and that "exported terrorists" to Iraq who carried out terrible crimes. It added that despite this, Iraq has shown restraint and has even provided Jordan with economic aid without which the regime would have fallen.
The Iraqi Hizbullah Brigades urged the Iraqi government and the political and popular forces in the country to take steps to curb the aggression of the Jordanian regime, such as halting the flow of oil to Jordan; boycotting Jordanian goods; and adopting a similar aggressive policy toward Jordan with the aim of "preserving the honor of Iraq and its people."[4]
[1] Iec.jo/ar, May 14, 2023.
[2] See for example MEMRI JTTM Report: New Iraqi Group Vows To Punish Saddam's Followers, Those Who Promote The Baath; Accuses Government Of Neglecting Its Responsibility To Ensure De-Baathification, February 22, 2021.
[3] Twitter, May 25, 2023.
[4] May 26, 2023.
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