Iran-aligned Iraqi factions reject talks on their weapons before end of “occupation”

Six Iran-aligned Iraqi factions said on Sunday that they refuse to discuss their weapons before what they described as the end of all forms of “occupation”, a veiled reference to the US military presence in the country. The statement came in response to growing calls to place all weapons under state control, particularly from Washington.

The factions, which are aligned with Tehran and operate within the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF)— part of Iraq’s official security forces — have long demanded the withdrawal of US troops deployed as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State group since 2014. The United States has maintained political and security influence in Iraq since its 2003 invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

In recent months, US calls to disarm these factions have increased, especially following the parliamentary elections held in November and amid a decline in the regional role of Iran’s allies in the post-war phase in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement issued late on Sunday, the Iraqi Resistance Coordination Committee said: “The weapons of the resistance are sacred, especially in a country where occupation still exists.” It added that it “categorically rejects any discussion of this issue by external parties”.

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The group stressed that “any dialogue on this matter, even with the government, can only take place after full sovereignty is achieved and the country is freed from all forms of occupation and its threats”.

The committee includes Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, Kata’ib Karbala, Ansar Allah al-Awfiya and Harakat al-Nujaba.

It also urged the next government to “end all forms and titles of foreign occupying presence on Iraqi land and in its airspace and prevent any influence it may have, whatever its form, whether political, security-related or economic”.

The statement was issued hours after comments by the head of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zaidan, who said: “There is no longer a need for weapons outside the framework of legitimate institutions. The battle has ended, and the new challenges require a different kind of weapon — law, justice and development.”

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