Iran does not oppose factions disarming, Iraqi lawmaker says

BAGHDAD — Iran does not publicly oppose efforts to ensure Iraqi armed factions to hand over their weapons to the state and move into political activity, lawmaker Kazem al-Shammari of the Services Alliance said Monday.

Speaking on Al-Dijla TV, Shammari said several prominent armed groups had responded positively to the government’s push to restrict weapons to state control. “There is a sincere response from prominent armed factions, such as Saraya al-Salam, Asaib and the Imam Ali Battalions, to engage in political work and hand over weapons to the state,” he said, adding that “the Iranian side does not publicly oppose this step.” He cautioned that disarmament “is a complex issue and will not be completed in a day or two.”

Shammari said the shift from armed activity to politics should have begun years ago, after the defeat of the Islamic State. He said Services Alliance leader Shibl al-Zaidi had told him “our role as factions ended in 2017 when victory was achieved,” and had long awaited an opportunity to enter political life and surrender weapons to the state.

The comments come as disarmament has become a central issue between Baghdad and Washington. This week, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and U.S. presidential envoy Tom Barrack agreed on a roadmap focused on the complete disarmament of groups operating outside state authority, ahead of an expected White House summit between Zaidi and President Donald Trump next month.

The initiative gained momentum earlier this month after the Coordination Framework endorsed a plan to place all weapons under state control and a committee including the Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry, Joint Operations Command and the PMF was formed to oversee the process. Asaib Ahl al-Haq has announced a committee to separate its forces from the PMF, Saraya al-Salam transferred security responsibilities in Samarra to state forces and the Imam Ali Battalions said they would place their weapons under government control. Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada have publicly rejected disarmament, arguing their weapons remain necessary for Iraq’s security.