According to a report by Middle East Monitor on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, To understand why some Iraqis today defend the Islamic Republic of Iran with near-devotional fervor, one must look back to the 1980s, specifically the eight-year Iran–Iraq War. The roots of this allegiance lie in the conflict itself, before Iraq’s post-2003 political order reshaped nationalism along sectarian, rather than civic, lines.
Examining the history of a contemporary Iraqi supporter of Iran—someone who speaks in terms of “we and they are one”—often reveals a family history that contrasts sharply with current loyalties. Many of these individuals are descendants of men who fought against Iran’s revolutionary agenda. Families mourning figures like Qassem Soleimani or Ali Khamenei on social media may have lost fathers, uncles, or grandfathers who died opposing the very system now glorified.
The question arises: how does a legacy shift so dramatically—from a grandfather resisting Khomeini’s slogan, “The road to Jerusalem passes through Karbala,” to a grandson publicly mourning the architects of that project?
The phenomenon reflects both the success of Iran’s sectarian strategy in undermining Iraqi nationalism and the social and political patterns that have emerged since 2003. Iraqi society, as sociologist Ali al‑Wardi noted, balances tribal conservatism with urban modernity, exhibits tendencies toward superficial religiosity, and responds strongly to sectarian or tribal rhetoric.
Yet al‑Wardi’s observations alone do not fully explain the current alignment. The dynamics also echo insights from Gustave Le Bon’s The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind, written over a century ago, which examines the psychological pull of collective identity and mass emotion—forces that remain strikingly relevant in Iraq today.
This historical, social, and psychological context helps clarify why a segment of Iraqis now defends Iran, despite the country’s own experience as a target of Iranian influence.
... Grandfathers Fought Iran, Grandsons Mourn Its Leaders: The Iraqi Shift Explained ... Sportify Post.