Iraqi Prime Minister Seeks Independence from US and Iran

Imagine Iraq is like a child who has two strong adults, the US and Iran, who both want to tell him what to do.

The leader of Iraq, Prime Minister Sudani, wants to be independent and make his own decisions, like a grown-up.

He's running for leader again and says he's kept Iraq safe by not picking sides in fights between the US and Iran, and he's also trying to build new things to give people jobs.

He believes he's made Iraq more peaceful.

But it's very hard to be friends with both the US and Iran because they often disagree.

Some people think Iran still has a lot of control through groups in Iraq, and the US has ways to put pressure on Iraq.

Sudani says the groups that used to fight are now part of the government's security, but others don't believe they've really stopped having power.

He's trying to show Iraqis he can lead without being told what to do by anyone else.