Iraq’s Sunnis Turn to America

Sunni leaders warn that a U.S. withdrawal would leave Iraq in Iran’s hands. With militias entrenched in the state and threatening their survival, they see no other power capable of restraining Tehran

For two decades, Iraq’s Sunnis have lived under suspicion. They were labeled as terrorists for resisting what they called the American “occupation.” They bore the brunt of U.S. military campaigns, Baghdad’s sectarian politics, and Tehran’s expansionist project. Today, in a remarkable reversal, many Sunnis are turning back to the very power they once fought. America, for them, is no longer the primary threat but the last counterweight against Iran.

Sheikh Ali Hatem al-Suleiman, chief of Iraq’s powerful Dulaim tribes, put it clearly in a June 2, 2025, appearance on Sky News Arabiya (UAE). “We confronted the Americans when they came as occupiers, and for that we were called terrorists,” he said. “Now everyone can see the truth: the terrorists are those who kill innocents, carry a foreign agenda, and wield weapons outside the law. That is Iran and its followers.”

For Suleiman, the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq is not liberation but an impending disaster. “If the American exit is not studied, Iraq will enter another tunnel like before. Economically, politically, militarily, everything will collapse.” He described the American move not as a retreat but a repositioning. “America didn’t spend billions and lose soldiers to walk away. Their bases surround Iraq. Their planes can reach Baghdad in minutes.”

This all comes down to a recognition of the need for survival.