Al-Zaydi receives a message from the US: No positions for factions even after disarmament
Al-Zaydi receives a message from the US: No positions for factions even after disarmament
2026-05-31
Shafaq News – Baghdad
An informed political source revealed on Sunday that Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi received a message from the American side during the past two days, which included Washington’s categorical rejection of the participation of any armed faction in the new Iraqi government, even if those factions announced that they would give up their weapons or leave military action.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that “the American message stressed that assigning any ministerial portfolio or high-ranking government position to an armed faction or to figures representing those factions will be met with an American and Western rejection, and may lead to a political and administrative break with the ministry concerned, which will have direct repercussions on the entirety of Iraqi-American relations, as well as cooperation with a number of Western countries.”
According to the source, who asked not to be named, Al-Zaydi conveyed the content of the message to the political forces participating in the government formation consultations, particularly the parties within the coordination framework, and intensive discussions are currently underway regarding the (new American veto) on the participation of armed factions in the new ministerial formation.
According to the source, some political forces were inclined to grant ministerial positions to armed factions after their expected announcement of abandoning weapons in the next few days, but the recent American position has reshuffled the cards and opened a new door of debate within the political alliances regarding the form of the next government and the nature of participation in it.
The source concluded that “among the parties that were being considered for ministerial representation after the announcement of abandoning weapons was the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq movement, along with other parties, but recent developments have prompted political forces to reassess their options in light of international pressures and reservations.”
The United States is intensifying its pressure on Baghdad, linking support for the Iraqi government to the removal of armed factions from state institutions.
Until recently, reports indicated that Washington stipulated that armed factions should not participate in the government unless they were disarmed, in addition to halting government funding for some formations.
The coordination framework is scheduled to hold a meeting in the coming days to discuss the issues of limiting the weapons of the factions and the decision of the leader of the Shiite National Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, regarding the “Peace Brigades” in a meeting in the coming days.
Al-Zaydi intends to hold an expanded meeting with security leaders and armed factions that have announced the handover of their weapons to the state, in order to establish mechanisms and a timeframe for integrating their members and dismantling their positions, in addition to discussing the “guarantees” that will be given to the factions.
Most of the current armed factions trace their roots back to after 2003, when armed formations emerged in connection with the security vacuum that followed the American invasion of Iraq, and then expanded significantly after ISIS invaded large Iraqi cities in 2014.
shafaq.com
