Iraq’s new government is attempting to bring weapons held by Iranian-backed militias under state control, a move that could reshape the role of armed groups linked to the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). Several militias have announced plans to place their arms under government authority and disengage from the PMF, while others remain opposed or have issued mixed signals.
Iraqi nationalist cleric Muqtada al Sadr announced that his militia, Saraya al Salam, will integrate into state security institutions. This development comes as Iraq’s new political leadership is navigating the issue of disarming Iran-backed militias.
The Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK) said Iranian drones and a missile struck one of its facilities near Erbil on May 25, wounding nine Peshmerga, while other camps were reportedly also targeted in recent weeks. Kurdish Iranian opposition groups, operating from Iraq’s Kurdistan Region for decades, formed a coalition to coordinate activities in February. The attacks come as Iraq’s new government seeks to curb armed groups and address regional security concerns.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates said that recent drone attacks targeting their territory originated from Iraq, increasing pressure on Baghdad to address the activities of Iranian-backed militias operating inside the country. The incidents come amid continued regional tensions involving Iran and have intensified scrutiny of Iraq’s newly formed government.
A report alleging that Israel operated a secret military base in Iraq’s Najaf desert has sparked controversy and conflicting statements among Iraqi politicians and security forces. The report emerged amid sensitive political negotiations in Baghdad and broader tensions involving Iran-backed militias, Israel, the United States, and Iran.
Efforts described by Iran-backed Iraqi militias as humanitarian campaigns increasingly show signs of serving as a parallel financial pipeline that also fuels Iran’s current war effort and regional proxy network. Across Iraq, groups aligned with Tehran are mobilizing donation drives framed as a religious obligation and in wartime solidarity.
The Iran-backed terror group Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Shiite militia, kidnapped American journalist Shelly Kittleson in downtown Baghdad on March 31. The US government had previously warned Kittleson of a threat against her and the group’s desire to kill or abduct journalists.
Six Peshmerga fighters were killed, and more than 20 were wounded in a missile strike north of Erbil on March 24, marking the deadliest attack on the Kurdistan Region since late February. The strike is part of a broader wave of drone and missile attacks by Iran and Iranian-backed militias targeting northern Iraq, US facilities, and Kurdish forces. In addition, rockets were fired toward Syria on March 23, and at least 15 members of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces were killed in a likely US airstrike in Iraq’s Anbar province.
Unclaimed but likely American airstrikes have continued against Iran-backed Iraqi militias, with one strike reportedly killing a senior Kataib Hezbollah commander. The US and Kataib Hezbollah have subsequently agreed to a temporary, conditional pause in attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad, though other hostilities in the country continue.
The unclaimed airstrikes, likely conducted by the United States as part of US-Israeli operations against the Islamic Republic of Iran, have targeted several Tehran-allied militias in Iraq and reportedly caused significant casualties. The US has not commented on these operations, which include over 30 reported strikes on the groups, who continue to attack US forces in the region.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned Iranian and Iranian-backed militia attacks in Iraq during a March 9 call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani, as drone and missile strikes continued across the country. Many attacks have targeted the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq, where US forces are based, as well as other US facilities and diplomatic sites. Unclaimed airstrikes have also targeted Iranian-backed militias across Iraq.
Iran-backed Iraqi militias claimed a series of drone and missile attacks against the “US presence” in the region on March 4 and 5, many targeting Iraqi Kurdistan, where significant American forces are located. US and Israeli forces are also likely operating against the Tehran-allied militias in Iraq, as both the militias and official government sources have reported a US presence and unidentified strikes against these groups.
Tehran’s partners and sympathizers have arranged protests across the region against the US-Israeli campaign against Iran, especially the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Some of the demonstrations have turned violent and present a danger to the local US diplomatic presence and civilians.
Iraqi militias backed by Iran have continued to fire drones and missiles at American bases in Iraq and in the region. Both the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Saraya Awliya al Dam have claimed responsibility for the strikes. Collectively, the groups have claimed dozens of operations against American bases since March 1.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), a coalition of Iran-backed Shiite militias, claimed over a dozen drone attacks against “enemy bases in Iraq and the region” and issued statements of support for the Tehran regime in retaliation for US and Israeli strikes on Iran. The groups are also responding to unclaimed airstrikes on Iraq that have reportedly killed at least six people, including four confirmed Iraqi militiamen.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq are reportedly considering an initiative to disarm and place their weapons under government control. The militias, part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), have been incorporated as independent units within Iraq’s security forces since 2016. Kataib Hezbollah, one of the most powerful of militias, has rejected disarmament, while the US lauded the potential development.
On November 11, Iraqis voted in the country’s sixth parliamentary election since 2006. More than 30 million people were eligible to vote, and estimates say turnout was around 55 percent. There were 329 seats up for election, with Iraqi parties divided along sectarian and ethnic lines. On the eve of the election, US officials met with their Iraqi counterparts to discuss future security cooperation. Meanwhile, Iran is closely monitoring the election results as pro-Iranian parties and militias seek to secure seats in parliament.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al Sudani on October 21, discussing the “urgency in disarming Iran-backed militias that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty.” Sudani told the US to “avoid unilateral decisions in Iraq.” The call followed increased US sanctions on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and individuals linked to them. Separately, Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qasim al Araji visited Iran and met with the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while IRGC-Qods Force Commander Esmail Qaani visited Iraq to discuss upcoming elections with Shiite political parties.
Safaa al Mashhadani was reportedly killed in a car bombing on October 15 in Tarmiya, a town north of Baghdad. Mashhadani was a candidate with the Sovereignty (Siyada) Alliance, an important Sunni party running in the country’s November elections. Iraqi media reports indicate the attack has the hallmarks of a targeted assassination, and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) called for a transparent investigation.
The Islamic Republic has long backed proxy groups abroad, but their role inside Iran is less well-known. Lebanese Hezbollah, Iraqi Shiite militias, and the Afghan Fatemiyoun Brigade have helped suppress dissent within Iran, and recent reports of their harassment of female students have sparked new outrage.
On September 17, the US State Department designated four Iran-backed Iraqi militias as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). These groups, previously listed as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs), have received support from the regime in Tehran and attacked US forces and interests in Iraq and across the Middle East.
Princeton researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped by Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah in March 2023 and holds Israeli and Russian citizenship, was freed in Iraq on September 9, according to President Donald Trump. The Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office claimed that security agencies in the country had secured her release, and they would pursue those “involved in this crime and hold them accountable.” A source reported to be from Kataib Hezbollah claimed the group had released her to avoid conflict in Iraq and in light of the US withdrawal from the country.
Iraqi and American officials announced that the US-led counter-Islamic State operation in Iraq began its transition to a bilateral security agreement. US forces have begun moving from Iraqi bases as part of the first phase of the shift, which will end “the coalition’s military mission” in the country.
Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia, was involved in a deadly shooting at Iraq’s Ministry of Agriculture on July 27. Despite the support for Iran-backed militias from many Shiite politicians, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al Sudani announced the results of an investigation that found the militia responsible for the incident and recommended consequences.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio voiced American objections to pending Iraqi legislation concerning the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), an entity largely composed of pro-Iranian militias. Iraq is attempting to pass a law to protect and legitimize the PMF as an autonomous security organization separate from other government military or security agencies.
On July 5, northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan Regional Government blamed the Iraqi federal government’s Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) for drone attacks impacting Iraqi Kurdistan. An Iraqi official rejected the accusations. Since June 30, there have been numerous drone attacks targeting the autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. The PMF and Iran have been behind attacks in the area over the past several years, including targeting US forces and Iranian dissident groups.
Suspected Iran-backed militias targeted bases in Iraq that are known to have housed US troops and contractors as the ceasefire between Iran and Israel took effect. The Trump administration did not respond to last night’s attacks or previous attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria.
Tensions in Iraq have grown in the wake of the Israeli attack on Iran on June 12. Pro-Iranian Iraqi militias have increased their threats against US forces and held rallies against the US presence in Iraq. The Iraqi government has sent security forces to Nineveh Governorate to prevent the area from being used by militias to launch rockets. In addition, several drones launched by Iran have crashed in Iraq.
Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have refrained from attacking Israel directly since the start of the war between Israel and Iran on June 13. However, there have been two unclaimed attacks on US interests in Iraq since Operation Rising Lion began, and the Iraqi groups have ramped up anti-Israeli and anti-American rhetoric, threatening US interests and mobilizing supporters through propaganda channels.
Kataib Imam Ali is the sixth Iran-backed Shiite militia in Iraq that has been listed by the US as a terrorist organization. The group’s secretary general was previously designated for his ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps–Qods Force and its former commander, Qassem Soleimani.