Exclusive: Iraq extends armed groups disarmament deadline to June 2027

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has agreed with leaders of the country's powerful pro-Iran political bloc to give armed groups until June 2027 to complete their disarmament, sources in Baghdad told The New Arab, extending a process initially expected to conclude by the end of September.

The agreement was reached with leaders of Iraq's pro-Iran Coordination Framework, which holds the largest bloc in parliament, before Al-Zaidi travelled to the United States for the UN General Assembly and talks with US officials, the sources said.

The move effectively gives powerful armed factions another nine months to bring their weapons under state control, amid continued resistance from some groups and disagreements over how the process should be implemented.

Al-Zaidi had previously committed to bringing weapons outside state control under government authority by 30 September, following attacks by pro-Iran armed groups on US bases during the war on Iran and subsequent US air strikes on their positions.

Under the new plan, the process would instead be completed by 30 June 2027, with the implementation phase expected to begin in January.

By extending the timeframe, Al-Zaidi hopes to remove the remaining justifications cited by armed factions that have refused to surrender their weapons or fully integrate into Iraq's state security forces.

A new directorate will reportedly be established within the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) to oversee the process, operating under the supervision of the Iraqi government.

The body would be responsible for receiving and cataloguing weapons, ammunition and military equipment held by armed groups, identifying where they are stored and establishing procedures governing their use.

However, the weapons would remain within facilities overseen by the PMF rather than being handed directly to the Iraqi government, a provision that could become a key point of contention with Washington.

Members and leaders of armed factions would also receive immunity from prosecution and retain the right to participate in Iraq's political process if they sign pledges to refrain from armed activity outside state authority.

Disagreement over who controls the weapons

A key dispute remains over who will ultimately control the groups' arsenals.

Washington has pushed for the Iraqi state to establish a monopoly over weapons, while the proposed arrangement would leave the PMF playing a central role in overseeing arms surrendered by the factions.

The US reportedly considers transferring weapons from faction-controlled warehouses to storage facilities that remain under PMF authority insufficient to meet its demands for weapons to be brought fully under state control.

Baghdad, however, faces considerable obstacles in forcing the issue.

Several powerful armed groups continue to resist full disarmament, while the Iraqi government has sought to avoid a military confrontation with factions that retain significant military and political influence.

Pro-Iran groups have also set a series of conditions for giving up their weapons, including the full withdrawal of US forces from Iraq and Turkish troops from northern Iraq, the restoration of what they describe as Iraq's full sovereignty over its territory, stronger Iraqi air defences and federal control over the borders of the autonomous Kurdistan region.

The dispute has complicated Al-Zaidi's attempt to fulfil his pledge to bring all weapons under state authority while avoiding a confrontation with groups that form part of the country's broader political and security establishment.

'Very difficult, indeed impossible'

Uday al-Khadran, a member of the Coordination Framework, told The New Arab that resolving the issue by the end of September had become "very difficult, indeed impossible", citing resistance among armed groups and the absence of mechanisms capable of implementing the process.

He nevertheless said the factions would eventually comply with the government's demands.

"Everyone will ultimately hand over the weapons," al-Khadran said. "But the matter requires arrangements, understandings and sufficient time to complete the process."

He added that negotiations were continuing and that the parties had yet to reach a final agreement on all aspects of the plan.

The priority, al-Khadran said, was to reach an arrangement acceptable to the parties involved that would ultimately bring weapons under state control.