The U.S. State Department said Tuesday that the United States believes Iran-backed militias should have no role in Iraq’s political life.
The statement, delivered by a State Department spokesperson to the Alhurra via email, coincided with remarks by Iraqi officials who said Washington had warned Baghdad of “catastrophic” sanctions if militias allied with Iran were not excluded from the formation of the new government.
The spokesperson said those militias serve what he described as Tehran’s “malign interests,” contribute to fueling sectarian divisions, and help spread terrorism across the region. He added that Iran has repeatedly proven it is not a reliable partner for any country, particularly Iraq.
The spokesperson said U.S. efforts to stabilize the region are focused on ensuring state sovereignty and enabling countries to achieve security through shared economic prosperity.
He did not specify what measures Washington might take to ensure Baghdad’s compliance, telling Alhurra that the United States does not comment on private diplomatic discussions.
Earlier Tuesday, the U.S. special envoy for Iraq, Mark Savaya, announced that a “U.S. team on the ground” is working in Iraq to support the formation of a new government and to prevent Iran-backed militias from gaining positions of power.
Savaya also referred, in a post on the social media platform X, to his efforts to expose corruption files, which he said not only harm the Iraqi people and undermine national security, but also “enable terrorist groups and fuel terrorist activity in many countries.”
Savaya said that “through coordination with other institutions, we now have a comprehensive understanding of the individuals involved in corruption files, including senior government officials and their family members who have benefited from stolen Iraqi funds.”
On Friday, an Iraqi government adviser told the Alhurra that Washington had warned it could take economic and financial steps described as “catastrophic” if armed factions loyal to Iran were included in the next government.
The adviser, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said the message was delivered directly from U.S. officials to their Iraqi counterparts and to leaders of political forces, stating clearly: “There is no place for militias. Otherwise, there will be catastrophic consequences for Iraq.”
Among the consequences Washington threatened, according to the same source, was the imposition of sanctions on oil revenues held at the U.S. Federal Reserve, which are transferred in monthly installments to the Iraqi government.
The United States also threatened the possibility of sanctions on Iraq’s oil sector and on prominent political figures, the Iraqi adviser said.
Among the pressure tools raised by Washington, according to the adviser, was Iraq’s import of Iranian gas, on which the country depends to generate electricity, and the potential immediate termination of the sanctions waiver the United States has granted Iraq for several years in this area.
The Iraqi adviser concluded by saying there is near-consensus among Iraqi political forces on the need to deal seriously with U.S. demands to ensure that pro-Iran militias are not included in the government.
Iraqi political forces are currently engaged in forming a new government, amid mounting pressure from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to distance Iraq from Iran and to close the file of militia weapons. Those militias are accused of exploiting the country’s financial system to fund their activities and provide an economic lifeline to their ally, Tehran.
The issue of armed groups linked to Iran is considered one of the most sensitive files to which the United States has attached clear importance during Trump’s presidency. U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that these factions pose a threat to Iraq’s stability and to U.S. interests in the region.
Washington has consistently pressured Baghdad to curb the ability of these militias to target U.S. bases or interests and to avoid using state resources to feed external influence, in reference to Iran.
U.S. officials have repeatedly warned against Iran-backed militias gaining power in Iraq. The latest such statement came from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio following a phone call Sunday with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Rubio said that “any government in Iraq controlled by Iran cannot succeed in putting Iraq’s interests first, cannot keep Iraq out of regional conflicts, and cannot strengthen a mutually beneficial partnership between the United States and Iraq.”
So far, a new speaker of Iraq’s parliament has been selected. A new president is expected to be elected this week or next, to be followed by the process of selecting a new prime minister.
On Saturday, the Coordination Framework—an umbrella grouping that includes most Shiite factions that won seats in the elections, among them political wings that possess armed militias loyal to Tehran—announced the nomination of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for a third term.
Ghassan Taqi
A journalist specializing in Iraqi affairs, he has worked with the Middle East Broadcasting Networks (MBN) since 2015. He previously spent several years with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, as well as various Iraqi and Arab media outlets.
