Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi appears to be burning bridges with Iran in wake of his wavering stances over the recently re-imposed US sanctions against Tehran. On Monday, he said his government would only respect the dollar ban in transactions with Iran. Last week he said Iraq disagreed with the US sanctions on Iran, but would abide by them to safeguard its own interests. “We will not relinquish the rights of our people. They want to pressure us to make concessions to gangs at the expense of the Iraqi people. This cannot happen,” he said in indirect reference to pro-Iran factions in Iraq. His reneging on his commitment to the sanctions clearly did not please Tehran, which did not make an official comment on the issue. Pro-Iranian regime websites have, however, condemned Abadi’s stance. Khabar online, which is close to parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, stated that Abadi had “blown his chances of remaining in his position as prime minister.” Under the headline, “How Abadi Turned into Iran’s Enemy,” it said that he had ignored “joint interests with Iran.” It added that all of his efforts to form a new government are on the verge of collapse because of his position on Iran. Furthermore, Abadi’s opponents said that his visit to Turkey on Tuesday will not fall in his favor in his crisis with Tehran, which still holds sway in nominating the next Iraqi premier. His supporters, meanwhile, said that his Ankara visit “cannot substitute for a visit to Tehran.” On Monday, an Iraqi official speaking on condition of anonymity was quoted by The Associated Press news agency as saying that Abadi was scheduled to travel to Iran for an official visit later this week, but Tehran canceled it over the comments he made last week. Head of the Iraqi center for media development Dr. Adnan Sarraj told Asharq Al-Awsat that Abadi’s Turkey visit was planned a while ago. “Iraq is in a position today to take political measures to support Turkey in exchange for Turkish decisions related to water and border issues and barring Turkish jets from violating Iraqi airspace,” he noted. Asked whether Abadi’s Turkey trip is linked to an upcoming one to Iran, he replied: “This visit is significant because it demonstrates that Iraq can stand by neighboring countries. As for his visit to Iran, it is out of the question now and for the near future.” Former government spokesman Dr. Ali al-Dabbagh told Asharq Al-Awsat: “There is no need for Abadi to embark on any foreign visit because attention should be directed at forming a new cabinet.” “Developing ties with neighbors is very important and it should be based on a clear vision that serves real national interests,” he continued. He revealed that he had advised Abadi at the beginning of the year to hold a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to resolve pending ties between the neighbors. The timing of the current visit is not appropriate and it sends the wrong message, he added. On Abadi’s cancellation of his trip to Iran, he said that he had committed a “mistake” and was “hasty” in making an Iraqi stance on the US sanctions.