The Soft Impact of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Strengthening Shiite Power in the Iraqi Political Equation (2003-2020)

In this article, an attempt is made to pay attention to and explain the effect of the soft power of the Islamic Republic of Iran in strengthening the power and influence of the Shiites in the political structure of Iraq. After the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam's regime, the Islamic Republic, as an important and influential country in the region, has tried to use its soft power sources to increase its sphere of influence and expand its geopolitical territory in the new Iraq. Meanwhile, by increasing the weight and consolidating the power of the Shiites in the political structure and equations of Iraq, the Islamic Republic, while developing convergence with the new government, has achieved high power and influence in Iraq, especially among the Shiites. Therefore, the main question of the research is what effect has the Islamic Republic of Iran had on strengthening the power of the Shiites in the political equations of Iraq (2020-2003)?The premise of this article is that since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the Iraqi political scene has been marked by increasing Shiite power and influence; Therefore, based on the discourse of the Islamic Revolution, the Islamic Republic is trying to strengthen the role and position of the Shiites in the political equations of Iraq, to prevent the factors of power from leaving the hands of the Shiites of this country, and in this regard; To develop Tehran's sphere of influence and acting power in the field of Iraqi politics.