The Iraq government has sought guidance from renowned law firm Squire Patton Boggs to help navigate its challenging relationship with the United States. The Middle East has recently seen a distressing rise in violence which has caused the relationship between Baghdad and the US to deteriorate, leading to this move.
Squire Patton Boggs started the advisory role on February 6. According to a Foreign Agents Registration Act submission published on Thursday, the firm is providing “policy advice and outreach concerning the political and commercial bilateral relationship between the Republic of Iraq and the US”.
The Iraq government has agreed to pay Squire Patton Boggs $65,000 per month for a 12-month lobbying engagement. Angelo Kakolyris, spokesperson for Squire Patton Boggs, acknowledged this engagement stating, “Iraq and the United States are longtime allies, and we are honored to have been retained to provide policy advice and outreach concerning the bilateral relationship between the two countries at this important juncture.”
This collaboration comes amid escalating tensions between the US and Iraq. Last Wednesday, the US launched a drone strike in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad that resulted in the death of the commander of an Iran-backed militia. This strike was in retaliation for a deadly assault on a US base in Jordan earlier that week. These events have led to Iraq threatening to withdraw support for the US coalition over the attacks.
The source of these conflicts can be traced back to the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7. This attack resulted in a military response from Israel in Gaza. Since this, US bases in the Middle East have been targeted over a hundred times by Iranian-backed groups, says Bloomberg News.
Squire Patton Boggs is known for advising overseas nations in the US, with notable clients including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Angola. Gassan Baloul, a co-chair of Squire Patton Boggs’ Middle East practice, leads the representation of Iraq. Ed Newberry, a recognized figure in the firm’s lobbying practice, and Paul Jones, former charge d’affaire for the US Embassy in Pakistan, also contribute to the matter.