On 25 February, Iraqi President Barham Salih and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Paris. During the press conference they both attended, President Macron stated: “The old friendship [between France and Iraq] has served as a barrier against terrorism; we must now nourish it with concrete projects to build long-lasting peace together”. “That will be my message when I visit Iraq in a few months” he added when mentioning France taking part in reconstruction efforts in Iraq. Following that statement, President Salih said that 13 Islamic State detainees who were transferred to Iraq last week from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will be tried in Iraq. “They are accused of having commanded operations against Iraqis and Iraqi installations in Iraq, and they will be tried according to Iraqi law,” Salih said, adding that he is “acting within the confines of international law on this matter.” Macron didn’t confirm nor deny whether those 13 included French citizens. He said that it would be up to the local government to decide to prosecute any detainee, including French (who would be entitled to consular access). Iraq is an essential piece in the fight against what is left of ISIS. Baghdad is the only regional capital that has relatively good relations with all war-related actors, Iran as well as the Syrian regime and Saudi Arabia, all in the while still maintaining links with the U.S., which still have 5000 men on the grounds. A rise in tension between Washington and Tehran could jeopardize it all, hence the caution Western actors exert, including the French.