40 American companies are waiting… Intensive Iraqi negotiations to resolve the issue of factions’ weapons.

40 American companies are waiting… Intensive Iraqi negotiations to resolve the issue of factions’ weapons.

2026-09-26

Shafaq News – Baghdad
An informed source revealed on Saturday that private meetings are continuing between the Quartet Committee and the leaders of the armed resistance factions, with the aim of reaching final agreements on the management, storage and organization of weapons, stressing that resolving this issue paves the way for more than 40 American companies to enter Iraq to start their projects.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that “Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zubaidi asked the political leaders within the coordination framework, specifically the four-party committee concerned with negotiating with the factions, to intensify dialogues and meetings to reach understandings that end the controversy over the management and organization of weapons, in a manner consistent with the interest of Iraq and the region.”

He added that “Washington demanded from al-Zaidi guarantees that American companies, which number more than 40 investment companies in various fields, would not be targeted by resistance factions.”

According to the source, an important meeting will be held under the auspices of the Prime Minister after his return from Washington, between the Quartet Committee emanating from the Coordination Framework and the leaders of the factions that are hesitant to hand over weapons, in the presence of the Iranian ambassador or his representative, to discuss limiting and regulating the management of weapons officially, and to ensure that American companies that will arrive in Iraq after the official withdrawal of American forces from the country are not targeted.

He pointed out that “the meeting will also discuss the issue of integrating elements of those factions into the Popular Mobilization Forces within three months,” noting that “the faction leaders reject this, but their position may change after the meeting, and everyone is counting on that.”

For his part, Abdul Rahman al-Jazaeri, a leader in the National Oath Movement, which is part of the State of Law Coalition, confirmed to Shafaq News Agency that “the leaders of the four factions with whom negotiations are being conducted by the Quadripartite Committee have demanded the enactment of a special law to restrict, manage and regulate weapons by the House of Representatives, so that it acquires legal and official status, and preserves the rights of those factions under one name in the Popular Mobilization Forces.”

Al-Jazairi explained that “the issue of restricting weapons has become directly linked to the Iraqi-American relationship, as it is no longer an internal matter.”

He continued, saying that “the Prime Minister will work upon his return to expedite the procedures for completing the cabinet, especially the Ministries of Interior and Defense, given that the withdrawal process, according to the approved protocol, requires that the handover and American withdrawal be carried out through the signing of an official protocol with the ministers concerned with the security file, and therefore it is necessary to choose the Ministers of Interior and Defense.”

In a speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zubaidi stressed that one of his government’s priorities is for the state to be the decision-maker in peace and war, emphasizing that weapons and instruments of power must remain in the hands of the constitutional state institutions, and that the law should be the arbiter and the national interest the compass.

The issue of armed factions is one of the most sensitive issues facing the Iraqi government, with the approach of September 30, which the main political forces have set as the deadline for restricting weapons to official institutions.

The State Administration Coalition, which includes the most prominent Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish political forces, stressed during its meeting on August 5 the need to restrict weapons to the state, and considered the parties that carry out activities that threaten the security of the country outside the framework of official institutions as “outlaws and must be fought.”

The coalition warned that any armed activity outside the framework of the state after September 30 would be dealt with according to the anti-terrorism law.

Last month, Baghdad witnessed security tensions coinciding with threats by armed factions to retaliate against Saudi Arabia, following strikes targeting Popular Mobilization Forces sites. The tensions ended with contacts and a dawn meeting between Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zubaidi and Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri, which led to a mutual calming of tensions and opened the way for diplomatic action to address the crisis.

Al-Amiri later called on the “Islamic Resistance” factions to postpone any military response against Saudi Arabia and to prioritize “Iraq’s higher interest,” but he returned and stressed during a meeting with a number of Popular Mobilization Forces leaders the importance of maintaining a high level of readiness.

The plan to restrict weapons does not have a unified position among the armed factions, as some forces have expressed a willingness to reorganize their military and security relationship with the state. Other factions, including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, have announced their refusal to give up their military capabilities, and have linked any discussion about their weapons to the end of the presence of foreign forces and ensuring the protection of Iraq from external attacks.

The September 30th date also coincides with the deadlines related to ending the military presence of the international coalition in Iraq, which some factions use as a basis for linking the future of their weapons to the withdrawal of foreign forces.

shafaq.com