Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has set September 30 as the deadline for the pro-Iran Resistance to disarm. Several groups have refused and are digging in their heels over the matter.
Two recent events highlight the growing tensions between the government and the factions. First, there was a report that there was a plan to kill the president of the Supreme Judicial Council Faiq Zidan because he is an ally of the prime minister and supports his disarmament program. It’s unlikely that any of the groups would actually attempt to carry this out right now but the story was likely a message to the government that the Resistance is serious about its opposition.
Second, after the intelligence chief of the al-Nujaba was arrested Kataib Hezbollah said that the Resistance would not turn over their arms until both the United States and Turkey withdrew from Iraq and the Peshmerga were disbanded. This is an impossible demand.
As a political analyst told Al Alam, the Resistance has always come up with different justifications for their existence. Usually it just focuses upon opposing the U.S. occupation but it has also talked about it being a force for the missing Imam Mahdi and talked about needing a divine revolution in order for them to disband. The point being they will come up with all kinds of reasons to continue and are not interested in any changes to the status quo. That’s because these groups’ power revolves around them being armed factions. Some of them have parliamentarians but politics is a secondary concern.
This places PM Zaidi in a quandary. While he wants to assert the government’s authority he does not want fighting to break out. Ironically this is also supported by Iran. This is leading to growing speculation that the premier will compromise on his deadline. The problem is giving the Resistance more time will not make them any more willing to relinquish their weapons.
SOURCES
Al Alam, “Post-September 30 Scenarios: Proposal to Postpone Faction Disbandment and Political Division Over Disarmament,” 8/18/26
Asharq Al-Awsat, “Iraq Tests Limits of State Power in Push to Rein in Armed Factions,” 8/18/26
- “Iraqi Faction Rejects Using Force to Disarm Groups,” 8/15/26
Kurdistan 24, “Iraqi Intelligence Warns of Plot to Assassinate Supreme Court Chief Faiq Zidan,” 8/17/26
The National Context, “Iraq’s Weapons Deadline: What Is Actually Being Negotiated Before 30 September,” 8/14/26
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