Exclusive: Gulf Pressure Builds on Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Zaidi

As Baghdad investigates the source of the attacks, the crisis has revived longstanding questions over whether Iraq’s new government can rein in Iran-backed armed factions and prevent the country from being used as a battleground for regional conflicts.

A source in the Iraqi prime minister’s office told Alhurra that Gulf states have grown increasingly concerned about the presence in Iraq of Iran-aligned militias that possess drones and missiles capable of reaching their territory.

The source added that some Gulf governments have scaled back direct engagement with the current Iraqi administration at the senior-official level because Baghdad has yet to produce clear results from investigations it announced into the attacks.

The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday that drones launched from Iraq had targeted the Barakah nuclear power plant, calling on Baghdad to urgently and unconditionally prevent hostile acts from being launched from its territory.

Saudi Arabia had earlier announced that it intercepted three drones entering from Iraqi airspace and warned that it would take all necessary measures in response to attempts to violate its sovereignty and security.

A senior Iraqi official told an Alhurra correspondent in Baghdad that Gulf states had delivered warnings to Iraq through both formal and informal channels, warning that Gulf diplomatic missions in Baghdad could halt operations if the attacks continue or if the perpetrators are not held accountable.

The official, who has held senior posts in recent years and maintains ties with Gulf leaders, said the withdrawal of Gulf missions could evolve into a temporary — or even long-term — diplomatic rupture, a scenario the al-Zaidi government is eager to avoid as it tries to reassure Saudi Arabia and the UAE that it is serious about addressing the issue.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi wrote Thursday on X that he had ordered an investigation into what he described as the “criminal attacks” against Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He called for a joint investigation “to review all evidence and determine whether Iraqi territory was used in the attacks, in order to take all necessary legal and security measures against those involved.”

While Riyadh and Abu Dhabi insist the attacks originated in Iraq, Iraqi officials and politicians say no conclusive evidence has yet been presented.

Yasser Iskandar Watout, a member of the Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee, said Saudi Arabia and the UAE had not yet provided official information proving that the drones were launched from Iraq.

Watout told Alhurra that Baghdad is awaiting the results of ongoing investigations and stressed the need for direct cooperation with the two targeted countries before any final decisions are made. He also said the government had decided to deal firmly with any group seeking to undermine security or create instability, whether inside or outside state institutions.

Iraq’s national security adviser, Qassem al-Araji, previously told Alhurra that Gulf states had repeatedly claimed during the recent war between Washington and Tehran that attacks against them were launched from Iraqi territory, but had not presented clear evidence to support those allegations.

The dispute has intensified debate over Iraq’s future relations with Gulf states and over the new government’s ability to fulfill promises to bring all weapons under state control and prevent armed factions from operating outside official institutions.

Ihsan al-Shammari, head of the Political Thinking Center, said the attacks represent a direct challenge to Prime Minister al-Zaidi.

“The message behind the attacks is clear,” Shammari told Alhurra. “It is meant to embarrass the new government and prevent it from building strong relations with Gulf states.”

He added that the attacks were also a direct response to al-Zaidi’s pledge to restrict weapons to state control, arguing that some armed factions are trying to demonstrate that they still hold the real power over decisions of war and peace inside Iraq.

Shammari said the crisis extends beyond Iraq itself and is closely tied to the broader regional conflict involving Iran, the United States and their allies.

“Targeting Saudi Arabia and the UAE from Iraqi territory sends a message that Iran is still using its allies and armed proxies as pressure tools against Gulf states and the United States,” he said.

Iraq hosts powerful Iran-backed armed groups that have claimed attacks against American interests and neighboring countries during the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

Although fighting in the Iran-related conflict has largely subsided since a ceasefire took effect in April, several drone attacks targeting Gulf states — including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait — have continued to be reported.

At the same time, calls are growing in the Gulf for a tougher stance toward Iraq if the attacks persist.

Kuwaiti political analyst and academic Ayed al-Manaa said the Iraqi government bears full responsibility for any attacks launched from its territory.

Manaa told Alhurra that countries targeted by such attacks have the right to defend themselves and confront groups operating under orders from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. If the Iraqi government is unable to control the situation, he said, it should acknowledge that openly.

He said al-Zaidi enjoys both domestic and international support, but now faces pressure to move from promises to action by dismantling armed groups, imposing state control over security and preventing violations against neighboring countries.

Retired Saudi Major General Mohammed al-Qubayban said the Iraqi government has the ability to control the security situation, but needs a higher level of oversight and monitoring within its territory, particularly if the matter is linked to the security of neighboring countries.

Al-Qubayban warned that continued attacks — or what he described as ongoing complacency — could escalate tensions between Baghdad and Gulf capitals, despite what he said was good cooperation with the al-Zaidi government to curb such operations.

At its core, however, the crisis goes beyond tracing the flight path of drones. It places al-Zaidi’s government before a far more difficult test: either convincing Gulf states that the Iraqi state is capable of controlling its territory and airspace, or once again finding Baghdad accused of failing to stop armed factions from dragging Iraq into conflicts beyond its control.

Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.