>> the headlines on al jazeera, u.s. president-elect joe biden criticized the trump administration for falling behind in its rollout of covid-19 vaccines. biden warned if it doesn't pick up the pace, it could take years before the american population is fully vaccinated. >> the trump administration's plan to distribute vaccines is falling far behind. we are grateful to the companies, the doctors and scientists and researchers, clinical trial participants, and operation warp speed for developing the vaccines quickly. but as i long feared and warned,

that efforts to distribute and administer the vaccine is not progressing as it should. >> governments are dealing with record numbers of new infections in europe. large-scale public health operations are underway to ensure vaccines are distributed across the region. thailand is warning stricter coronavirus measures could be enforced after an outbreak this month mainly among migrant workers. the government is hoping to control the spread by allowing workers from some countries to apply to work in thailand legally for two years. emergency workers in central croatia are searching for survival -- survivors of an earthquake that killed at least seven people. many in the worst hit town of petrinja are afraid to return to their homes for fear of aftershocks. protesters are rallying outside argentina's senate as it prepares to vote on a bill to legalize abortion. the legislation was backed by the lower house. if passed, the law would allow terminations up to 14 weeks of

pregnancy. the senate rejected a similar bill in 2018. niger is hoping to make history with its first peaceful transition of power after elections. early results put the ruling party candidate in the lead. he is considered a strong favorite to succeed the current president, who is stepping down after 10 years. boeing 737 max has been used for a commercial flight in the -- for the first time since the plane was grounded on most two years ago. american airlines took about 100 passengers from miami to new york. the plane was grounded worldwide after crashes in ethiopia and indonesia killed 346 people. we will have a check of the headlines in just under 30 minutes. for now, it is inside story. thanks for watching. ♪

>> raining in the armed groups. the prime minister is under pressure to deal with pro-iran militias. his leadership is put to the test. is he capable of confronting the program? how much of a threat to these groups pose? this is inside story. welcome to the program. since taking office in may, iraq's prime minister has been tackling a number of international and domestic challenges. his main policy has been to reduce the stranglehold iran

backed militias have had on security forces since the fall of saddam hussein into thousand three. his ability to succeed is being questioned. december 20, at least eight rockets struck baghdad's green zone. a residential complex and cars were damaged. the arrest of a senior leader in a militia for his of -- involvement opened up the possibility of a confrontation between the government and armed groups. tensions are escalating between the united states and iran. donald trump blamed iran for the baghdad attack and threatened to respond militarily. the claim was dismissed by the new chief of tehran's elite qud s force. possum solemani was -- the u.s. is concerned about what iranian forces might do on the anniversary of solemani's death.

the popular mobilization forces was formed in 2014 after a call from leading -- a leading cleric for iraqis to join the fight against isil. its members are mostly shiite muslims. has bola was set up just before the invasion of iraq by the u.s. it was -- has long-standing ties with tehran. the head of the she a militia -- the shia militia's forces fit -- fought in syria. let's bring in our guests, michael is senior fellow at the hudson institute and a former advisor to iraqi security forces. in tehran, we have a researcher at the center for strategic studies.

welcome. let me start with you today. how precarious is the position that the iraqi prime minister is in? will he be able to confront the armed groups? >> thanks for having me. it is a difficult position for anyone who becomes prime minister to go after these militia members. in several cases, the prime minister has put counterterrorism forces at risk by having them capture melissa members -- militia members in order -- only to release them within 72 hours after he was pressured by members of the militias. it is a sad state for iraq with the prime minister unable to use the iraqi security forces

because they are infiltrated by these militias to go after militia members responsible for rocket attacks against the u.s. mission in iraq. that not only hurt americans, they also killed iraqis so it is a difficult situation for the u.s. to continue to say it has a partner in baghdad. >> from your vantage point in tehran, how difficult does the situation look for the prime minister? >> prime minister kadhimi finds himself in a difficult position. he has to play a very delicate role. on one side he has to deal with the united states, on the other side there is a growing public position to u.s. troops in iraq, the iraqi parliament has already called on u.s. troops to leave the country, so he is trying to play a delicate role.

as far as iran is concerned, iran has made it very clear in recent days, the iraqi prime minister's advisor visited tehran. iran's message to him was very clear. iran is not seeking to create tensions in the region and supports the iraqi prime minister's call that there is no room for adventurism. >> where does iraq's relationship stand right now when it comes to the u.s.? >> right now, baghdad has a very tenuous relationship with the united states. 80% of iraqis want a better relationship with the united states and they say things like, iraq is free, iran, stop interfering, meaning get out.

it is unfortunate, because the incoming administration is not going to take these militias seriously and they are going to likely try to reengage with the iran deal, which will only embolden militias and iran's behavior. this is that moment between an election and a change in the u.s. administration in d.c. where our adversaries and geopolitical flows take advantage of this space by positioning pieces on the chessboard ready to do something after january 20. that is where we find ourselves in iraq. the militias are testing u.s. resolve with rocket attacks. iran is encouraging these attacks. they are funding, training and equipping these militias and the militias are working on behalf of what is called the revolution tied to the islamic republic in iran. the u.s. needs to be aware of that. we are supposed to be destroying

isis in iraq, yet the biggest threat in iraq is not from isis, it is from these militias tied to tehran. i believe the united states will conduct some strikes against militia leaders ahead of january 20 based on the rhetoric and the fact that, giving biden more leverage inside of iraq and in dealing with iran to target some of these leaders that are not only killing iraqis but threatening the u.s. and nato's mission in iraq. >> i saw you shaking your head in response to what michael was saying. did you want to add to it? >> the trump administration is deliberately escalating tensions in the region, including with iran, and just to intimidate iran and iraqi groups. this is a symptom. the real reason, the root cause

of the current situation, is the fact that the trump administration has failed on his goals in the past four years. when he pulled out of the jcpoa in 2018, he stated four goals. first, it was to get iran to renegotiate the nuclear deal on his terms. second, it was to get iran to agree to a better deal that will eliminate iran's uranium your richmond -- enrichment program and iran's missile program, and the fourth was to limit or restrict iran's regional influence. has he succeeded in achieving any of those goals? no. now, he is leaving the white house in three weeks time, battered and broken, without achieving any of those goals. it is not surprising that the trump administration is

increasing tensions. but iran has been following a policy of restraint towards the united states. iran does know that the trump administration is not happy with the expectation that the incoming biden administration will rejoin the jcpoa and iran wants to give the biden administration an opportunity to return to the nuclear deal and left the sanctions -- lift the sanctions and undo the damage is trump administration has done. so it is the united states that is seeking tensions with israel and saudi arabia even provoking the u.s. to instigate chaos and tensions in this region. >> it looked like he wanted to jump in. i want to ask when it comes down to the possibility of reentering negotiations between the u.s. and iran over the nuclear deal, if that were to occur with the

incoming biden administration, putting aside what that does when it comes to iran, how does that affect iraq? >> iran has used iraq to offset u.s. sanctions. it has never been more clear. the islamic republic of iran has primacy in iraq. they assigned a prime minister. they have influence within the security intelligence apparatus. they have penetrated all of iraq's economic sectors. going back to the iran deal will only encourage that behavior and lifting sanctions as the last thing we want to do. this has given the biden administration leverage in renegotiating and iran deal him about what i would say is, there is no appetite in washington to lift sanctions on this regime. there is no appetite in washington to join back into the iran deal without addressing ballistic missiles, sunset clauses, inspections of sites that have been carved out of the

jcpoa and of course, regional behavior. if you look -- listen to the regime's rhetoric, if the regime caved on any of those man's, ballistic souls, sunset clauses and regional behavior, it would collapse the regime. if the regime decided it was optional, it would collapse the regime. that is how weak it is and how effective the pressure campaign has been on the islamic republic of iran. >> let me ask you, also from your perspective, do you think some sort of a clash between iraq's government and those iran-backed paramilitary groups is inevitable at this stage? >> first of all, we have differences between the popular mobilization forces and many numerous groups that are unknown or newly formed groups operating

independently. it is very unrealistic and naive to attribute anything iraqi groups due to iran, sibley because iran, they don't take advice from iran and in recent weeks, we have seen the emergence of new groups with no clear affiliations. as far as the popular mobilization forces are concerned, iran has encouraged them not to give the united states a pretext to escalate tensions. iran has condemned attacks on the u.s. embassy because it doesn't approve attacks on diplomatic compounds. military installations or military bases is a totally different story.

i believe the popular mobilization forces have no inclination to escalate tensions, but it is the u.s. that is looking for such an excuse, and there are unknown groups that may do that, but at the same time, we have to be careful about the very explosive situation. you are dealing with an unpredictable president in the white house, and unconventional president who may take decisions all of a sudden without consultation with his advisers. and you have strong lobby groups from israel and saudi arabia provoking the united states to seek tensions. it is ironic thatresident trump, who was elected in 2016

on the platform of ending wars in the middle east, is now escalating tensions and even looking for war in the final days of his administration. >> it looked to me like you wanted to jump in. go ahead. >> these new militias that are -- our guest in tehran is talking about were created by the quds force. the members in these new groups are from militias tied to the islamic revolutionary guard corps. they come from another militia tied from tehran and the thinking in tehran is, if these groups aren't designated, the u.s. can't attack them. they have to stop thinking that way. u.s. will defend itself, it will defend itself in a proactive way. if the united states sees an eminent -- imminent attack, able do something. but the baghdad government denies its airspace to u.s.

intelligence surveillance and because this is at the request of militia leaders, one of them said this week they are tied directly to the quds force, they are trained and equipped by iran. this is the leader of hezbollah saying this. qasem soleimani's one-year anniversary of his death is coming up and they are testing u.s. resolve ahead of that day. that is why we had the rocket attacks last week. we expect more and the u.s. is ready. there is a target packet on 55 sites inside iran tied to the irgc and the iranian people are ok with the irgc being targeted as long as the u.s. doesn't targeted -- doesn't target

civilians. that is how unpopular the regime is in iran. >> as you heard michael mention, it is almost a year to the day since the killing of soleimani. what is the view from tehran? is it expected there will be more tensions in the days leading up to the anniversary, that there will be more attacks? >> from the iranian point of view, iran slapped the united states in the face immediately after the trump administration ordered general soleimani's assassination. that was launching missiles into with the airbase. that was the beginning, not the end. iran has vowed to take revenge and punish all those responsible for this brutal assassination in breach of international law, including trump himself. iran has plenty of time to do so, and it has no intention to provide an excuse for a battered

and broken trump to create tensions now. this is the iranian viewpoint. what the iraqi groups are going to do is, that is their own decision. that is the problem. general soleimani had influence over these groups, and the united states targeted the head of rationality. now, iraqi groups have been wounded. their leaders have been killed on their own soil. how do you expect, what do you expect them to do? they united states has killed their leaders and they have every right to te revenge. but iran is encouraging them not to do so at lst now, if they want to take such a revenge. so it doesn't mean all of them listen to iran. they do not take advice from

iran. as far as, i expect the popular mobilization forces are not going to engage in escalation unless there are unknown groups without a clear affiliation to do so, at least until january 20, when trump leaves the white house. >> i will let you make your point and a second. i want to ask, where are things when it comes to u.s. presence in iraq, when it comes to u.s. troops going forward, when it comes to diplomatic staff going forward? what is going to happen? >> two things will happen. if iraq continues down this path, we are looking at an election in 2021 where former prime minister al maliki leaves he -- believes he can be prime minister. he stepped down in 2014 as a precondition for the united

states to provide air support to iraqi security forces to take on isis. he thinks he can win the premiership in 2021. if he does, the u.s. should stop all engagement inside of iraq, admit iraq was a failure, start punishing baghdad in its economic sectors tied to tehran, considered -- continue pressure. the biden administration isn't going to do any of this. the biden administration will act like everything is ok, allow militias to grow, reengage with the iran deal, lift sanctions and for the next four years, tehran and these militias will be able to do whatever they want to the iraqi people inside of iraq saying enough. the people have already said enough. receipt -- regimes collapse on

their own. it is always the people, and within the pony -- the poetry and music in iraq and iran, you see the beginnings of that collapse. that is the same thing that happened with the fall of the soviet union. the next four years, the regime will likely collapse on its own. >> when it comes to sheila -- shia clerics with strong ties to iran, where is there support going to? are they supporting the prime minister in this confrontation? what is happening with them? >> they do, but the point is that the iraqi prime minister wants to have the backing of the united states at the same time while trying to appease its own

population. he finds it difficult to do so, because these two can't go together. >> that is not true at all. the opposition is anti-iraq. >> a few months back there was a call for demonstrations and hundreds of thousands of iraqis took to the streets denouncing u.s. deployment, u.s. military presence in iraq. these are the facts. if you call on the iraqis to take to the streets today, you will see that they don't want u.s. troops on their soil because they remember the boots of the u.s. troops on their carpets. they don't forget that blackwater committed crimes

against iraqi civilians, and now donald trump pardons those killers, those murderers. it is not difficult to imagine how the iraqi people will react to that. let me point to another key issue. what is the root cause of all this? the united states is following the doctrine of the cold war towards iran. the conservatives in the united states have been looking for an enemy, and they find iran as a replacement for the soviet union . the u.s. policy has been one of containment of iran, and this policy of containment sometimes has got close to regime change. >> we only have a minute and a half left. i saw michael wanted to jump in so i will give you the last word. go ahead. >> the iraqi people, 80% of the

population is under 30. this is the first time the shia population in iraq has said no to iran, has told the americans you have made the mistakes but i am not encouraging u.s. boots on the ground. i am encouraging your relationship built in education, finance, military support, but not routes on the ground necessarily. but an ally that can rejoin the middle east and not be a puppet state of tehran. it is the iraqi people that are saying no to kadhimi, get away from iran, and it is the militias that have kadhimi so afraid that he releases them after he captures them. there is too much control. members of parliament are in militia hands. the co are is tied to a maliki. it is militias in suits deciding

, when the population wants a different outcome. the iraqi people have to help themselves. the biden administration will not. >> we have run out of time. we will have to lead the conversation there. thanks to our guests. and thank you for watching. you can see the program again any time by visiting our website and for further discussion, go to our facebook page. you can join the conversation on twitter. for the whole team, goodbye for now. ♪

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brandon: my experience is so different than a mainland chinese, it wouldn't be authentic for me to try to cook food for mainland china because that's not me, and that's not my audience. my audience is san francisco, and these cross-cultural exchanges are the basi for how food evolves. i feel like what we're seeing in this next wave of this generation of american cooks is this newfound confidence in