Iraqi PM sets June 30 deadline for pro-Iran factions to disarm as US coalition withdraws

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced Thursday that armed factions have until June 30, 2027, to turn over their weapons to the state, following the end of the US-led coalition's military mission in Iraq.

"October 1 is considered a serious beginning to address the issue of weapons outside state control," al-Zaidi said, backing away from an original September 30 deadline he had set earlier.

In a national address marking what he called Iraqi Sovereignty Day, al-Zaidi declared the realization of full national sovereignty and pledged that the state will hold exclusive authority over decisions of war and peace. "Based on the constitutional principle, the decision of war and peace should be left to the constitutional authorities, banning all military action to the contrary," he said.

The Prime Minister credited the restoration of Iraq's territorial independence to the sacrifices of the Iraqi people, particularly in their fight against ISIS.

Al-Zaidi's roadmap includes integrating armed factions, including the Popular Mobilization Forces, under the command of the armed forces' commander-in-chief, disarming all non-Iraqi armed groups on Iraqi territory, and launching procurement programs for a national air defense system. He reaffirmed that Iraqi territory and airspace would not be used as a launchpad for attacks against neighboring states, while rejecting any cross-border aggression against Iraq.

The Iraqi government believes the coalition's withdrawal, completed on Wednesday, after more than a decade of operations against the Islamic State terror group, will remove the pretext armed factions have used to retain their weapons. But many fear the pullout could instead embolden the factions and draw Iraq deeper into the broader Middle East war.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps welcomed the US withdrawal as a "historic victory" and called for American troops to leave the region entirely. Iran-backed factions pushed back on the new deadline; for example, Kataeb Hezbollah military spokesman Jaafar al-Husseini said the groups had been negotiating with Baghdad to "regulate" their weapons but had "not yet received a response from the Iraqi government." "Based on this, the Islamic Resistance declares that it is not bound by any timetable or agreement that any governmental or political party has spoken of or may speak of," he said.

The pro-Iran factions have long sought the withdrawal of US troops, targeting them with drones and missiles over the years and prompting US retaliatory strikes that killed several faction commanders.