Q&A: Qassem al-Araji, Iraq’s National Security Advisor

BELEK, ANTALYA - Iraqi National Security Adviser Qassem al-Araji has been at the center of efforts to prevent Iraq from becoming a major theater in a regional conflict stemming from the war in Gaza.

In an interview with Iraq Oil Report on the sidelines of a conference in Turkey, Araji said that Iraq has sent a "message of reassurance" to all sides by starting talks with the U.S.-led coalition to combat the Islamic State (IS) militant group. Araji credited this concrete action toward the potential withdrawal of the coalition with helping to lower tensions between Iran-backed militants and the U.S. military.