American message to Baghdad: Iraq is a state sponsor of terrorism if it does not control the weapons of the factions.
American message to Baghdad: Iraq is a state sponsor of terrorism if it does not control the weapons of the factions.
2026-11-03
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Well-informed political sources reported on Tuesday that the acting US ambassador to Iraq, Steven Fagin, had delivered direct messages in recent days to government and political figures, confirming that Washington is monitoring steps to restrict weapons to the state.
According to sources who spoke to Shafaq News Agency, Fagen warned that failure to comply with the pledges and failure to put in place a concrete plan to end the presence of weapons outside the control of the state by next June 30 will push Washington to consider Iraq a state sponsor of terrorism and to take various sanctions and measures against it.
The sources added that Fagen confirmed, during his recent meetings in Baghdad, that Washington has not yet seen real and tangible measures that confirm the state’s monopoly on weapons, especially with the continued threats from the factions, the latest of which was the attempt to target the US embassy in central Baghdad with drones.
Earlier today, a source familiar with the inner workings of the Quartet Committee tasked with negotiating with the factions revealed that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi had intervened in the negotiations by holding separate meetings with some leaders of the groups refusing to hand over weapons.
According to the source, the committee is continuing its meetings and has achieved significant progress in this regard, and it is committed to completing its mission by the date announced by the Prime Minister, the end of June 2027.
The Loyalists Movement confirmed last Friday that the movement will not hand over its weapons, explaining that the agreement includes regulating and limiting weapons during the period from September 2026 to June 2027, and not withdrawing or handing them over.
It is worth noting that the state’s monopoly on weapons does not have the consensus of the Iraqi factions, as the Al-Nujaba Movement, Kataib Hezbollah, Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada and other factions have announced their refusal to give up their military capabilities.
shafaq.com
