Iraqi Foreign Minister: Iraq wants Iran-backed factions to lay down their weapons, by Reuters

By Timour Azhari

LONDON (Reuters) – Iraq is trying to persuade powerful armed factions in the country that have fought U.S. forces and fired missiles and drones at Israel to lay down their weapons or join the official security forces, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said.

The push comes against the backdrop of seismic shifts in the Middle East that have seen a significant deterioration in Iran’s armed allies in Gaza and Lebanon and the overthrow of the Syrian government by rebels.

The incoming US Trump administration promises to put more pressure on Tehran, which has long supported a number of political parties and a group of armed factions in Iraq.

Some officials in Baghdad are concerned that the status quo may be turned upside down, but Hussein downplayed this in an interview with Reuters during an official visit to London.

“We do not believe that Iraq is the next,” Hussein said.

He added that the government is holding talks to rein in the groups while it continues to walk the tightrope between its relations with both Washington and Tehran.

“Two or three years ago, it would have been impossible to discuss this topic in our society,” he said.

But now, the presence of armed groups operating outside the state has become unacceptable.

“Many political leaders and many political parties have begun to raise discussion, and I hope we can convince the leaders of these groups to lay down their arms and then join the armed forces under the responsibility of the government,” Hussein said. He said.

The balancing act in Iraq has been tested by attacks by Iranian-backed Iraqi armed groups on Israel and on American forces in the country, which say they stand in solidarity with the Palestinians during the war between Israel and Hamas.

The promised ceasefire in Gaza has left the government breathing a scene of relief, although uncertainty prevails about how the country will fare after Donald Trump becomes US president.

During Trump’s last presidency, relations were strained when he ordered the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020, which led to an Iranian ballistic missile attack on an Iraqi base housing American forces.

Hussein said, “We hope that we can continue this good relationship with Washington.” “It is too early now to talk about the policy that President Trump will follow towards Iraq or Iran.”

As Iraq attempts to chart a third diplomatic path, Hussein said that Baghdad is ready to help defuse tensions between Washington and Tehran if requested, and pointed to previous mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran that paved the way for the normalization of relations between them in 2023.

Syria

The armed revolution in neighboring Syria has been viewed with concern.

The Islamist rebels now in power in Damascus were among Sunni Muslim militants who entered Shiite-majority Iraq from Syria after the 2003 US-led invasion, fueling years of sectarian war.

ISIS crossed the same path a decade later and committed bloody massacres before being defeated by the US-led international military coalition, Iraqi security forces, and factions allied with Iran.

Hussein said that Iraq will not be reassured about Syria unless it sees a comprehensive political process, adding that Baghdad will supply the country with grain and oil once it is certain that it will go to all Syrians.

He added that Baghdad is holding talks with the Syrian Foreign Minister regarding a visit to Iraq.

He added: “We are concerned about ISIS, so we are in contact with the Syrian side to talk about these matters, but in the end, for Syria to be stable means to have a representative of all components in the political process.”

Baghdad and Washington agreed last year to end the US-led coalition by September 2026 and move to bilateral military relations, but Hussein said developments in Syria must be monitored.

“First and foremost, we think about Iraq’s security and stability,” he said. “If there was a threat to our country, the story would be different, of course.”

But until this moment we do not see a threat.”