In Baghdad, the Iraqi political leaders and lawmakers are steering from dwindling American influence. So much that they will not be looking to the U.S for advice on forming a government.

Iraq instead is setting its sights on Iran for guidance and this is casting doubt in America’s role in the country after the U.S lost more than 4,000 U.S soldiers in the war.

Shiite lawmaker Sami al-Askari, stated that Iraqi politicians are no longer paying as much attention as they did in the past since the role America is playing has weakened, giving Iraq a greater sense of influence and hold over their own matters. He is a close ally of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

Joe Biden has lobbied Iraqi leaders in person and over the telephone, making 6 trips to Iraq over the past 2 years as the administration’s point man for Iraq.

The measure of U.S influence in Iraq is mainly by the U.S’s military presence, which has dipped to 50,000 in late august. As a result, Baghdad is brushing off U.S advice to implement a government at a slower pace rather than rushing through the process, which will give Iran an advantage.

A key Kurdish lawmaker, Mahmoud Othman stated the influence the Iranian Ambassador has over Iraqi issues is much greater than the influence America yields.

One concern is that sectarian divide could worsen if the Sunni-backed Iraqiya political coalition is left out of a new Shiite-led government led by al-Maliki.

Many minority Sunnis view such a coalition government as a blessing from Iran and a show of weakness on America’, says analyst Michael Knights on the Washington Institute for Near East Policy site.

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