Iraq has revived legislation regarding the Popular Mobilization Authority (PMA), the government agency that oversees the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). The PMF, while legally an Iraqi government security institution, is a conglomeration of militias, and its main constituent elements are backed by Tehran.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed concerns to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani over the legislation, which he worries would “institutionalize Iranian influence and armed terrorist groups undermining Iraq’s sovereignty.” While the Trump administration has reportedly been pressuring Baghdad over concerns that the PMF serves as a vehicle for Iranian influence, this has largely occurred out of the public spotlight.
In response, Sudani explained that the law “is part of the security reform process pursued by the government and is part of the government program approved by the House of Representatives. This process included the approval of similar laws for other agencies within our armed forces, such as the Intelligence and National Security Services, and that the Popular Mobilization Forces is an official Iraqi military institution operating under the authority of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.”
Sudani is the nominal head of the Coordination Framework (CF), the coalition leading Iraq. Substantial elements of the CF come from political parties directly connected with Iran-backed militias that are part of the PMF.
The possible PMF law
The law under consideration would establish the PMF as an autonomous security organization separate from other government military or security agencies, including granting it financial independence. The head of the PMA would hold the level of a minister, answering directly to Iraq’s prime minister. The PMA chairman answers to the prime minister under existing legislation; however, the militias in the PMF operate with significant autonomy, enabling them to bypass government instructions, as seen in the attacks launched by PMF constituent militias at US forces in the region. The law also provides an institutional structure that outlines a series of departments and authorizes a military academy for the PMF.
According to The New Arab, the law clarifies the PMF’s mission, which is “protecting the regime” and “defending the country, protecting its unity and territorial integrity, and combatting terrorism.” The PMF has previously not had a clearly defined mission, something critics argue enables the organization to operate beyond the dictates of Iraqi policy.
The PMF was originally authorized in 2016 with relatively bare-bones legislation intended to formalize the force that fought against the Islamic State after Ayatollah Ali Sistani’s fatwa instructing men to fight the terrorist group. Iraqi officials who support the PMF view this law as an important step in formalizing the organization and protecting its “fighters.”
This legislation faces pushback from the US and Sunni and Kurdish segments of the Iraqi political landscape over concerns that the PMF is ideologically motivated and tied to Iran. The Iraqi government has previously withdrawn laws concerning the PMF over disagreements with other sectarian factions and even within the Shiite coalition. Prior legislation included a retirement age that would have forced many leaders, including the PMA chairman, into retirement. Different factions attempted to use the retirement age or possibilities for exemptions to increase their influence in the PMF.
US concerns over Iranian influence
The passage of this law would make a future disarmament of the PMF or integration into the Iraqi military significantly more challenging.
One of the central goals of the Trump administration’s Middle East policy is decreasing the influence of the Iranian regime. In January, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein began discussing “militia disarmament,” anticipating increased pressure from the Trump administration to do something about Iranian influence in Iraq through its militias. So far, this effort has generated statements about possible disarmament from politicians and anonymous militia leaders, usually followed by disavowals from official militia media.
Iraqi politicians have expressed support for the principle of state control of arms. However, CF leaders insist that because the PMF is a state institution, its possession of arms is legitimate.
