TEHRAN - U.S. President Donald Trump’s unexpected visit to Iraq on Wednesday came with a decisive response from the entire country, an answer that Trump should learn from in setting up his policy towards Iraq.

Trump made the trip following a series of strange measures since retaliating on its presidential seat. After entering the Iraqi territory, Trump went straight to the American base of Ein al-Assad in Anbar province to visit the U.S. army. Trump’s wife Melania also accompanied him during the trip. 

Once in Ein al-Assad, they launched several self-defense campaigns with U.S. troops, as if Iraqi territory became the president's election campaign scene.

 Violation of Iraq’s sovereignty 

No doubt the U.S. president unexpected journey to Iraq was a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and an insult to Iraqi officials. The trip was made against diplomatic regulations and rules. 

The U.S. president should have complied with the diplomatic requirements and officially provided the Iraqi authorities with the timing of his visit to Iraq, to avoid political and media attacks. 

Experts believe that the United States is trying to show keeping troops in Iraq are natural part of process after a major defeat in Iraq. 

In any case, what has happened is a clear violation of the Iraqi sovereignty of Iraq, although the president of the United States in self-defense slams the accusations for his unconventional action. 

Welcoming gesture with missiles

Iraqis top officials didn’t pay homage to President Trump as a message that he should have respected the Iraqi sovereignty. 
Officials, parties, currents and political groups, as well as Iraqi people, did not accept the U.S. President Donald Trump's secret and unexpected travel to send the message to the President of the United States that every diplomat in Whatever the case, it should respect the Iraqi sovereignty and, otherwise, it will not pay homage to it.

U.S. embassy in the Green Zone in Baghdad, however, was shot by two missiles during Trump’s visit to Iraq. The missiles conveyed the message that the Iraqis won’t throw red carpet for those who disrespect Iraq’s territory. 

The decisive message of Iraqi political groups to the American president

Initially, the Al-Islah and Al-Bana alliances in Iraq’s parliament issued a statement in which it condemned Trump’s trip to Iraq, declaring, “The U.S. President’s trip to Iraq violated Iraq's sovereignty and acted as if Iraq’s Anbar province was one of the states of the U.S. An extraordinary parliamentary meeting was essential to investigate this violation of the sovereignty.” 
The Iraqi Al-Bana alliance also condemned the U.S. president trip to Iraq and called it a clear violation of the laws and diplomatic rules, and emphasized that the trip demonstrated U.S. government’s feeling superior over other states. 

Mahmoud al-Rabiee, a member of the Political group of Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, also said: “Trump’s unexpected trip to Iraq without Iraqis permission is a reason that America ignores the Baghdad’s government independence, sovereignty and credibility, and this call for adoption of a law to expel foreign forces from Iraq.”

Spokesman and a senior commander of Iraq's Kata'ib Hezbollah (Hezbollah Battalions) popular forces Jafar al-Hosseini said: “The Islamic resistance forces will force the U.S. to pull its forces out of Iraq.”  He considered Trump’s unexpected trip and his meeting with U.S. troops his lack of security in Iraq. The spokesman said the commanders of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq have promised to kick out those who make attempts to violate neighboring countries, including Syria. He stressed that the decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq is in the hands of the Iraqi people and government not Trump’s. 

Hashim al-Moussawi, the official spokesman for Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba, also said, “Trump should know that the blood of the martyrs has brought Iraq’s sovereignty, and the establishment of U.S. military bases in Iraq is not possible. He added that the Iraqi government must expel U.S. troops, because they have violated the sovereignty of the country. “We will not allow Iraq to turn into a base for threatening neighboring countries.” He stressed that insulting Iraq's sovereignty won’t go unpunished. 
The question here is whether the U.S. President will learn his lesson he got in Iraq. Though Trump tries to pretend that his trip to Iraq has been successful, he knows all too-well that his effort does not change the reality.

The timely and determined response of Iraqi parties and parliamentary alliances, as well as the massive protests by the public to the unexpected and secret Trump’s trip to Iraq was a great lesson to U.S. President Trump. However, time will tell if he learned the lesson.