Prime Minister Al-Sudani's statement following the death of Hezbollah leader

Prime Minister Al-Sudani's declaration of a three-day mourning period for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is a good demonstration of the complex political balancing act he performs.

On one hand, he feels compelled to honour Nasrallah, a terrorist, and the Iraqi government continues, whether intentionally or otherwise, to be a state sponsor of terror groups by funding the PMF, whose members act far beyond the realms of government oversight.

Yet at the same time Sudani travels the World trying to attract foreign investment and economic partnerships with Western nations.

This duality is becoming increasingly difficult to reconcile.

Most Western nations will view his statement as further evidence of Iraq's deepening ties to Iran, but Sudani also knows the fallout from Nasrallah’s death will be significant in Iraq, particularly among pro-Iranian militias, including Kata'ib Hezbollah, who share ideological and strategic goals with Hezbollah.

The groups are likely to view the strike as an attack on the whole resistance movement and will more likely than not retaliate against western interests in Iraq.

Sudani’s challenge lies in managing these factions internally, and pleasing them enough not to topple him, this while also presenting Iraq as a stable, attractive destination for international investors—the goals quite clearly at odds with each other.