He honored Khamenei. Then he broke bread with Trump.

# Analysis The Iraqi Prime Minister's diplomatic pivot reveals how Middle Eastern leaders are increasingly forced to manage competing great-power relationships that fundamentally contradict each other. By attending Khamenei's funeral while maintaining a White House meeting, Iraq is signaling it will not be forced into choosing sides in the US-Iran rivalry—a calculation that reflects Iraq's geographic vulnerability and economic dependence on both powers. This balancing act, however, carries tangible risks: the more Iraq tries to placate Tehran, the more Washington may question its reliability as a partner, while any tilt toward the US could invite Iranian retaliation against Iraqi militias or economic pressure. The real test of Iraq's strategy will be whether it can extract concrete benefits (security guarantees, investment, debt relief) from this divided attention or whether it simply becomes a stage where the US and Iran act out their rivalry at Iraqi expense.