Members of Iraq’s Coordination Framework meet in Baghdad. The Shia-led coalition said it supports restricting weapons to state authority.
Coordination Framework backs limiting weapons to state
BAGHDAD — The Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite political parties that led the formation of Iraq’s current government, said it supports limiting weapons to the state and called for clear legal mechanisms, according to a statement released after its regular meeting.
The Framework said it reaffirmed its support for limiting weapons to state authority “in accordance with an integrated national project and clear legal mechanisms,” describing the approach as a means to “strengthen state sovereignty, preserve security and stability, and serve the country’s supreme interests.”
The statement comes as U.S. officials have continued to press Iraqi armed factions to disarm and restrict weapons to state authority. Washington has said Iraq’s sovereignty and stability depend on dismantling armed groups operating outside government control.
Public positions among Shiite armed factions remain divided, fueling debate across Iraq. Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya and Kataib al-Imam Ali have called for confining arms to the state, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada has said decisions on weapons “belong to the Iraqi state,” adding that faction arms “should not go beyond the boundaries of the state.” In contrast, Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba have refused to give up their weapons, insisting that “resistance is a right” and saying their arms will remain with their fighters. Nujaba has pointed to U.S. actions and the continued presence of foreign troops as justification for retaining weapons.
Asharq Al-Awsat reported on Dec. 20 that Iraqi officials and political leaders had received warning messages from an Arab country and a Western intelligence service about possible military strikes targeting sites linked to armed factions, including weapons depots and training camps, citing unnamed sources. Iraq’s National Intelligence Service denied the report.
Statement by the Coordination Framework:
The Coordination Framework held its regular meeting No. (255) on Monday, 22 December 2025, at the office of Sheikh Dr. Hammam Hammoudi. The meeting discussed the outcomes of the successive meetings of the subcommittees and reviewed the latest developments on the domestic and international scenes.
The meeting featured in-depth discussions of working papers submitted by the Coordination Framework forces, addressing pathways to expedite the resolution of naming the Prime Minister, alongside the remaining electoral entitlements, in a manner consistent with constitutional frameworks and the requirements of the upcoming phase.
The Coordination Framework reaffirmed its firm position in support of confining arms exclusively to the state, in accordance with an integrated national project and clear legal mechanisms, in a way that strengthens state sovereignty, preserves security and stability, and serves the country’s supreme interests.