Dhafir Nazim Salman al-Ani is an Iraqi politician who served as a member of the Iraqi Parliament, representing the Iraqi Accord Front (Jabhat al-Tawafuq al-Iraqiya) prior to its dissolution. Born in Anah, Anbar Governorate, in 1958, he grew up and completed his education in the al-Adhamiya district of Baghdad. He graduated from the College of Law and Political Science in 1982. After obtaining his master’s degree in 1988, he worked as a researcher and professor at the University of Baghdad. He later earned a PhD in Political Science—graduating at the top of his class in 1998—and went on to teach courses on international organizations and international law. He attained the rank of assistant professor in early 2003. That same year, he gained prominence for his staunch opposition to the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq. Subsequently, he became a member of the first elected parliament, representing the Sunni-led Iraqi Accord Front, which secured 44 seats in the 2005 parliamentary elections.

Al-Ani criticized the methods employed by the “De-Ba’athification Commission,” describing its procedures as arbitrary and noting that they affected a large number of Iraqis—most of whom had been members of the Ba’ath Party. Despite his objections to the Iraqi political process—which he characterized as being defined by a sectarian quota system—he participated in the parliament as part of the Iraqi Accord Front. In 2008, he became the Secretary-General of the National Future Gathering (Tajammu’ al-Mustaqbal al-Watani), which joined the Iraqi National List (al-Qa’ima al-Iraqiya). However, the “Justice and Accountability Commission” barred him from participating in the 2010 elections. Ultimately, on December 18, 2010, the Council of Representatives overturned the decision to exclude him, as well as two other members of the Iraqi National List: Saleh al-Mutlaq and Jamal al-Karbouli. He returned to the Iraqi Parliament in the 2014 elections as a representative for Baghdad Governorate, running under the “Mutahidun for Reform” (United for Reform) coalition. He headed the coalition’s list in Baghdad and was one of the four candidates from that list to secure a parliamentary seat.

In the 2018 parliamentary elections—the fourth legislative term—he participated as part of the “Iraqi Decision Alliance” (Tahaluf al-Qarar al-Iraqi). He served as the head of the alliance’s list in Baghdad and as its official spokesperson. Having won a seat, he was subsequently appointed as a member of the Arab Parliament, serving as Deputy Chair of its Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was later elected Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and became a member of the Arab Parliament’s Bureau (Political Bureau) in 2020.