US Efforts to Disarm Iran-Linked Militias in Iraq Face Challenges

<p>The Trump administration's initiative to encourage Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to dismantle pro-Iran militias is progressing, despite facing challenges.</p><p>Experts in the Middle East are adopting a cautious but somewhat optimistic stance. A senior Iraqi official announced in late August that Baghdad will not regard September 30 as a deadline for disarming the pro-Iran groups known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also referred to as the Popular Mobilization Forces.</p><p>The Iraqi government aims to exert control over these militias through a strategy of integration into the state apparatus. Muqtada al-Sadr, a radical Iraqi Shiite cleric leading the Saraya al-Salam armed group, expressed support for integration in May. However, some hardline pro-Iran militias, including Kataeb Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah al-Nujaba, have stated they will not disarm or integrate.</p><p>Qasim al-Araji, security advisor to the prime minister, told Al Iraqiya on August 23 that "September 30 is the date for the international coalition to depart, not the deadline to hand over weapons." The international coalition refers to the U.S.-led forces that defeated the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria during President Trump's first term. The reasons for the Iraqi government's decision to extend the disarmament timeline for the PMU remain unclear.</p><p>A spokesperson for the Iraqi embassy declined to comment on the conflicting messages from the Iraqi government regarding the timeline for disbanding or integrating the PMU.</p><p>Just prior to al-Araji's announcement, a representative of the Iraqi government provided a statement to Fox News Digital, indicating that "Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi: All political forces fully agree on moving forward with restricting weapons to state control, and work is underway on mechanisms for surrendering weapons and bringing this issue to a complete end."</p><p>During the Baghdad Dialogue Conference, al-Zaidi stated, "All political forces agree on moving forward to ensure that all arms remain under state authority and on developing mechanisms for the handover of weapons. There are no intentions or prospects of any military confrontation, and we will not allow Iraq’s enemies to exploit any opportunity. The presence of weapons outside state authority creates an environment that discourages investment, which is unacceptable because it does not serve the interests of Iraqis."</p><p>In May, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Ali Maarij Al-Bahadly, Iraq’s Deputy Minister of Oil, for allegedly facilitating the diversion of oil to benefit the Iranian regime and its proxy militias in Iraq. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent stated, "Like a rogue gang, the Iranian regime is pillaging resources that rightfully belong to the Iraqi people," adding, "Treasury will not stand idly by as Iran's military exploits Iraqi oil to fund terrorism against the United States and our partners."</p><p>In late August, the UAE's The National reported that Iraq's anti-corruption body sentenced Al-Bahadly to seven years in prison and imposed fines for corruption.</p><p>Reacting to reports that Iran approved the passage of Iraqi oil tankers via the Strait of Hormuz, former U.S. ambassador and Middle East analyst Alberto Fernandez claimed that "the profit from that Iraqi oil goes, in part, to pay for Iran’s own Iraqi militias/death squads on the Iraqi government’s payroll."</p><p>An Iraqi government spokesperson dismissed Fernandez's comments, stating, "That is not accurate."</p><p>A State Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that "Iraq has embarked on a new direction under the leadership of Prime Minister Al-Zaidi in full partnership with the United States. As President Trump made clear during Prime Minister Al-Zaidi’s historic July 14 visit, the United States strongly supports his vision to ensure a brighter future for all Iraqis free from terrorism, to prevent attacks in and from Iraqi territory, and to deliver a strong and mutually beneficial U.S.-Iraq partnership."</p><p>Entifadh Qanbar, a former spokesman for the deputy prime minister of Iraq during the George W. Bush administration, expressed hope that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi would take decisive action against the militias, especially after his visit to the White House. Qanbar noted, "I was always skeptical, very skeptical, but I believed he deserved a chance."</p><p>Qanbar added that "Initially, some militias such as Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Imam Ali (sanctioned by the U.S.) merely issued statements claiming they would hand over their weapons. There has been no credible evidence that they have actually disarmed."</p><p>Qanbar also mentioned that "any remaining hope was further diminished after IRGC [Islamic Republic Guard Corps] Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani visited Baghdad. According to multiple reports, he instructed militia leaders to slow down any discussion of disarmament, reject the September 30 deadline, and maintain their weapons as part of Iran’s broader regional deterrence strategy."</p><p>When asked about Iraqi state efforts to dismantle the PMU, Elizabeth Tsurkov, a senior non-resident fellow at the New Lines Institute in Washington, D.C., stated, "The Iraqi government is trying. It genuinely carried out some moves. Unfortunately, because the militias are extremely willing to use force against their own people, including against security forces, the government finds itself in a position of backing down in the face of these militias."</p><p>Tsurkov noted that "the militias have penetrated most state institutions… and you see repeated situations of the state backing down." Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed group designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization, kidnapped Tsurkov in 2023 and held her hostage for nearly two years. The Trump administration secured her release in 2025.</p><p>The influence of the PMU was highlighted in a recent setback for the Iraqi government.</p><p>Both Qanbar and Tsurkov referenced the case of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), which arrested Abbas al-Yaqubi, the head of intelligence for the Popular Mobilization Forces’ Baghdad Belt Operations Command. Following al-Yaqubi’s arrest, he was transferred to the PMU intelligence branch. Qanbar stated, "Al-Yaqubi has long been involved in violence against Iraqi activists, and many viewed his arrest as an important signal that the government was finally willing to confront powerful militia figures. What seemed like a significant step forward turned into a major setback."</p>