The commander of Iran’s Quds Force has urged Iraqi armed factions to hold on to their weapons and use the issue as leverage in negotiations with Washington, according to multiple Iraqi sources who spoke to MBN.
Gen. Esmail Qaani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States- made the appeal during an unannounced visit to Baghdad in recent days, as a Sept. 30 deadline set by the Iraqi government to place all weapons under state control approaches. Some factions have begun handing over weapons and headquarters, but others continue to reject the move.
The United States, meanwhile, has for months been pressing the Iraqi government to disarm armed factions and ensure that weapons are held exclusively by state institutions.
The sources, including leaders from the governing Shiite Coordination Framework, a source in the Popular Mobilization Forces, a security official and a member of parliament, said Qaani urged the factions to use the weapons issue to press Washington to strengthen Iraq’s air defense systems and arm its armed forces. The goal, they said, would be to prevent the United States and Israel from using Iraqi airspace to conduct surveillance of Iran.
Tehran’s demand that the use of Iraqi airspace for monitoring Iran be curtailed is not new. Iran’s ambassador to Iraq, Mohammad Kazem Al Sadeq, previously said U.S. surveillance aircraft were monitoring Iran from Iraqi airspace and alleged that Israeli flights were receiving air support in the same airspace.
But the sources said Qaani linked that demand to the issue of the factions’ weapons during his latest visit. A source in the Popular Mobilization Forces confirmed the account to MBN.
The source said the IRGC general stressed the importance of ensuring that Iran does not lose its armed allies in Iraq. He described their weapons as “Iran’s weapons, not the factions’ weapons,” the source said.
A Shiite lawmaker told MBN that Qaani urged faction leaders to retain their weapons and work to develop the capabilities of their members, as the Iraqi government faces U.S. pressure to bring all weapons under state control.
According to the lawmaker, Qaani also discussed during his visit the reorganization of small armed factions recently established by Tehran, which have played a role in carrying out drone attacks.
MBN reported on Aug. 7, citing Iraqi sources, that each of the cells consists of no more than 10 people. Members were drawn from larger factions and distributed among groups operating independently of one another, with direct links to the IRGC rather than to the leadership of the factions.
Qaani also conveyed his displeasure with factions that had agreed to surrender their weapons. He told several Coordination Framework leaders that the United States “would not benefit those who gave up their weapons” and that aligning with Washington or seeking its approval would be futile, according to MBN sources within the framework.
Several Coordination Framework leaders, however, told him that Iraq needed to be kept out of the conflict, the sources said. They told Qaani that Iran was an important country and an ally of Iraq, but that decision-making authority should remain with the Iraqi state.
A Coordination Framework leader told MBN that Qaani spoke candidly with faction leaders, warning that the government would be the losing side if an armed confrontation with the factions erupted.
During the visit, he also reminded them of the “popular sympathy” displayed during the funeral processions for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the cities of Karbala and Najaf, according to the leader.
An Iraqi security source told MBN that Qaani is counting on Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, both designated terrorist organizations by the United States, to refuse to surrender their weapons and is seeking to bring other factions into their camp.
Some Factions Begin Handing Over Weapons
Other factions, meanwhile, have begun taking steps to surrender their weapons or place them under state authority. Saraya al-Salam, affiliated with the Sadrist movement, handed over its weapons and headquarters to the Samarra Operations Command, while the Disengagement and Integration Committee received the personnel records, weapons and equipment of Kataib Imam Ali.
Asaib Ahl al-Haq, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States, as well as Kataib Imam Ali and Saraya al-Salam, have announced their acceptance of the principle that weapons should be held exclusively by the state. Other factions have rejected the move, most notably Kataib Hezbollah, led by Abu Hussein al-Hamdawi, and Harakat al-Nujaba, led by Akram al-Kaabi.
The factions opposed to disarmament say they will not surrender their weapons as long as what they describe as a foreign occupation of Iraqi territory and airspace remains.
Government Prepares for Possible Confrontation
With the deadline approaching, the government is preparing for the possibility that some factions will refuse to comply with the decision.
Information circulating among Iraqi political circles indicates that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has instructed security forces at several meetings to be prepared to carry out his military orders if factions refuse to surrender their weapons by Sept. 30.
The State Administration Coalition said after its 37th regular meeting, chaired by al-Zaidi on Aug. 5, that any armed activity outside state authority after the deadline would be dealt with under the counterterrorism law.
The following day, authorities ordered an increase in military readiness and combat preparedness across the country, including the cancellation of leave for commanders and senior officers.
Al-Zaidi also directed the preparation of a draft law to place weapons under state control in accordance with constitutional procedures. He said uncontrolled weapons undermine the rule of law and weaken the authority of security institutions.
The moves come two weeks after joint airstrikes announced by U.S. Central Command and the Saudi Defense Ministry on July 29 targeted headquarters and weapons depots belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces and affiliated factions across eight provinces.
The strikes killed 20 people and wounded 32 others, including five Iranian advisers who were killed in Diyala.
Adapted and translated from the original Arabic.
