The name of the commander of the Iranian Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, has once again returned to the forefront of the Iraqi political scene. The Iranian general, who arrived in Baghdad on Sunday, is seeking to impose the conditions of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on the government of Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zeidi, according to several sources who spoke to Alhurra.
The conditions have focused primarily on the future of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and armed factions, amid escalating U.S. pressure to dismantle the weapons of factions linked to Iran and the necessity of not including them in the upcoming government.
According to information obtained by Alhurra from two sources within the Coordination Framework—the ruling Shiite alliance responsible for nominating the prime minister—Qaani stipulated to faction leaders and political figures the need to “not make any concessions” related to the weapons of the factions, the restructuring of the PMF, or allowing al-Zeidi’s government, if it comes into being, to launch any campaign against these factions.
The two sources added that Qaani considers these files to be “red lines for the Axis of Resistance.” They indicated that direct messages were conveyed to some armed factions participating in the political process, rejecting any direction that might respond to U.S. demands regarding limiting weapons to state control or reducing the factions’ influence within security institutions.
Qaani also stressed, according to the sources, the need for the next government to maintain a “balanced relationship” with Washington, without engaging in any political path that could be interpreted as full alignment with the United States.
One of the sources said that “Trump’s repeated support for al-Zeidi angered Iran.”
U.S. President Donald Trump had congratulated al-Zeidi on his designation to form the government, confirming that he had spoken with him and expressed strong support, and that he had secured the designation with U.S. backing.
Last week, the U.S. State Department told Alhurra that Washington is not waiting for political pledges from al-Zeidi and other Iraqi leaders regarding pro-Iran armed factions, but is instead looking for “actions, not words.”
A senior official at the U.S. State Department said there are “tangible” steps Iraqi authorities must take that would give the United States “confidence and confirm the existence of a new approach.”
According to the official, these steps include “expelling terrorist militias from any state institution, cutting support for them from the Iraqi budget, and preventing the payment of salaries to their members.”
Washington has, for several months, been exerting significant pressure on the Iraqi government and leaders of the Coordination Framework to deal decisively with the weapons of Iraqi armed factions loyal to Iran.
An advisor within the Coordination Framework, who requested anonymity, confirmed that the Iranian messages carried by Qaani “have increased the complexity of negotiations” related to forming the new government, especially as some political forces see the need to send signals of de-escalation to the international community and the United States to avoid any economic or security escalation that could impact Iraq.
The advisor told Alhurra that there is “a clear division between parties that want a government more open to the West and others that insist on maintaining the government within the traditional equation linked to Tehran and armed factions.”
Alhurra also obtained information from the same sources regarding what Qaani told Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, a movement designated as a terrorist organization by the United States and which recently signaled the importance of limiting weapons to state control.
According to the sources, the Iranian general informed the movement— which holds 29 seats in the current parliament and is considered one of Iran’s most prominent arms in Iraq—of the “necessity of not complying with the American decision.”
The movement is expected to obtain two positions in the upcoming government: Deputy Prime Minister and one ministry, but according to the U.S. perspective, this should be matched by relinquishing its weapons.
Qaani told Asa’ib, according to two sources whose information Alhurra cross-checked: “Give up the two positions now. The time does not allow for handing over weapons.” This angered the movement, which “has become confused about its position,” as one source stated.
The movement’s Secretary-General, Qais al-Khazali, had been seeking for his brother Laith al-Khazali to become Deputy Prime Minister. Both brothers are designated by the U.S. State Department as “global terrorists.”
Shuffling the Cards
Qaani’s unannounced visit to Baghdad came at a time when the process of forming a new government under Ali al-Zeidi appears more complicated than ever.
In closed meetings and discussions he held with leaders of Shiite forces and armed factions, the outlines of a new political crisis emerged that threatens to delay the birth of the prime minister-designate’ s government, amid deep divisions within the Coordination Framework itself over the distribution of ministerial portfolios.
A source within the Coordination Framework told Alhurra of “unprecedented tension” among political blocs regarding the distribution of ministries.
The source, who is the office director of one of the Framework’s leaders, said that “tomorrow’s parliamentary session, Tuesday, designated to vote on the ministerial cabinet, may be postponed for days or perhaps longer due to the failure of political forces to reach a final agreement on sovereign ministries.”
This information was confirmed by a source in the coalition of outgoing Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who told Alhurra that “the current disagreements are not only about names, but about the size of influence each party will have within the next government.”
The source, who requested anonymity, confirmed that al-Sudani’s coalition (Reconstruction and Development) rejected a proposal from the State of Law Coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki to assign his son-in-law, MP Yasser Sakheel al-Maliki, the Ministry of Interior.
The ministries of finance, oil, and interior—allocated to Shiite forces—have turned into a “political knot,” with major blocs insisting on obtaining them as they represent centers of financial, security, and administrative power.
There is also a major disagreement, according to information obtained by Alhurra, between al-Sudani and the leader of the Hikma Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, over the Ministry of Oil.
A senior figure within the Coordination Framework said that recent meetings “were clearly tense,” explaining to Alhurra that “some forces have threatened to withdraw from political understandings if they do not receive their full ministerial entitlements.”
This figure indicated that the current divisions are “deeper than what is being circulated in the media,” especially with the issue of armed factions entering the line of government negotiations.
Amid all this, a proposal has emerged within some political blocs to pass a “partial” or “incomplete” government, according to preliminary information that Alhurra has not been able to fully verify. This mechanism would involve voting on a number of ministers while postponing the resolution of disputed ministries to a later stage. However, this proposal faced strong objections from political forces that considered passing an incomplete government would “create an early crisis of confidence” and undermine the principle of political balance among participating forces.
The article is a translation of the original Arabic.
Mustafa Saadoon
Mustafa Saadoon is an Iraqi journalist who has worked for several international and Arab media organizations. He covers politics and human rights.
