I think you're confusing Trump with Obama there.
No, I’m not. The militias were fighting ISIS, with our tacit support, well into 2018. Those groups were instrumental in getting al-Sadr elected. He formerly led the Madhi army, who fought against us in 2003. He took refuge in Iran, while we negotiated over bringing them into the political process.
But even if that were true....that makes what I stated inaccurate...how, exactly?[/quote]
Because it doesn’t mean, what you think it means. If we end up going to war with Iran, it’s going to span across the M.E., all the way to the Mediterranean. Between the Basijj, Shiite militias, and Hezbollah, the Iraq insurgency, under Bush 43, will look puny, by comparison.
On top of it all, the sanctions don't mean a lot to us. We haven't had formal relations with them, since I was in grade school. Turkey and China have already ignored oil sanctions. Europe likely won't be of much help. Russia would be more than happy to see us bogged down in yet another M.E. conflict. It stretches our resources and puts their energy in higher demand.