The Iraqi government is seeking to resolve one of the most consequential issues in its relationship with Washington — the future of Iran-aligned armed factions — as Baghdad prepares to end the security-focused mission of the U.S.-led international coalition and launch a new phase of relations with the United States.
Haider al-Aboudi, spokesman for the Iraqi government, said the circumstances that prompted armed groups to emerge over the past several years have fundamentally changed, leaving no justification for weapons remaining outside state control.
“The reasons that once necessitated carrying arms have disappeared,” al-Aboudi said during an appearance on Baghdad Hour, an MBN television program. “Today, the need for weapons outside the authority of the state has come to an end.”
The comments came after two Iran-linked factions — Asaib Ahl al-Haq and Kataib Imam Ali, both designated by the United States as terrorist organizations — recently transferred control of their armed brigades within the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) to the Iraqi state, a move widely seen as reflecting mounting pressure over the issue of militia weapons.
After taking office in May, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi said consolidating all weapons under state authority would be an immediate priority.
Al-Aboudi said factions that had complied with the government’s measures were no longer operating under their previous organizational structure within the PMF.
He added that weapons are no longer subject to political direction and said the government remains committed to implementing measures aimed at ensuring that all arms are exclusively under state control.
Several Iran-backed factions, however, continue to reject disarmament. Among the most prominent is Kataib Hezbollah, which has conditioned any handover of its weapons on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.
Al-Aboudi also said Iraq’s relationship with coalition members would evolve from a security partnership into one centered on economic development and investment, with the constitution and Iraqi law serving as the framework governing that transition.
Last month, the Iraqi government announced that the military mission of the U.S.-led international coalition against ISIS would formally conclude at the end of September.
The move will end an 11-year chapter that began in 2014, when the coalition intervened to help Iraq fight ISIS after the militant group seized large swaths of the country. Military and intelligence cooperation continued throughout the campaign to retake Iraqi cities, culminating in Baghdad’s declaration of ISIS’s territorial defeat in 2017. Since then, the coalition’s role has shifted to training, advisory, and support missions.
The transition comes as Baghdad prepares for what officials describe as a new phase in relations with Washington ahead of Prime Minister al-Zaidi’s expected visit to the United States later this month.
Al-Aboudi said economic cooperation would dominate the agenda, describing the visit as the beginning of a broader Iraqi-American partnership focused on investment and long-term strategic ties rather than crisis management.
He said Iraq aims to reshape its relationship with the United States by attracting American companies and investment, citing what he described as the country’s significant economic potential.
The government, he added, has adopted an economic approach to managing its foreign relations, based on the belief that economic interests have become a central pillar of national security.
Al-Aboudi also addressed the government’s recent anti-corruption campaign, which has targeted politicians, members of parliament, and senior government officials suspected of involvement in major corruption cases.
Anyone found to have misused public funds, regardless of position or political standing, will face prosecution, he said, noting that Iraq’s judiciary is already handling cases involving both current and former officials and lawmakers.
“The government will continue pursuing corruption cases without exception,” he said. “There are no red lines except the national interest.”
Prime Minister al-Zaidi has pledged to eradicate corruption, one of Iraq’s most persistent governance challenges despite repeated promises of reform by successive governments.
The current anti-corruption campaign began on June 28 with the arrests of several prominent lawmakers from different political blocs, as well as current and former government officials. A judicial source told Alhurra last week that authorities have so far seized assets valued at more than $250 million as part of the investigation.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
