🇮🇶🚨 IRAQ’S WEAPONS ISSUE: ARE WE REALLY GOING TO DELAY THIS AGAIN?
📢 NEWS SUMMARY
According to a report published by Shafaq News on September 3, negotiations between Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework and several armed factions are reportedly making progress toward bringing weapons under state control.
The discussions come ahead of September 30, when the U.S.-led Coalition’s military mission in Iraq is scheduled to end.
A three-member political committee consisting of former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, and Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri has reportedly been meeting with armed factions in recent days.
The committee is supporting Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s efforts to bring weapons under the authority of the Iraqi state.
According to political officials, the discussions have been described as positive, with the goal of reaching a solution through dialogue rather than triggering an escalation that could destabilize Iraq.
The September 30 date is being described as an important turning point. After that date, Iraqi state institutions are expected to move forward with measures aimed at strengthening sovereignty, preventing attacks on neighboring countries from Iraqi territory, and ensuring that decisions concerning war and peace remain under government authority.
However, there is still significant resistance.
Several Iran-aligned armed groups, including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, have resisted surrendering their weapons. These groups have linked any potential move to foreign troop withdrawals and security guarantees against external attacks.
And here comes the part that deserves our attention:
Officials have already clarified that September 30 does NOT necessarily mean that all weapons will suddenly be handed over to the government on that exact day.
Instead, the process of bringing weapons under state control could continue gradually after September 30.
🔎 DEEPER ANALYSIS
And honestly... ay bendito!! 😅🇮🇶
Here we go again.
I completely understand that this is an extremely sensitive issue. Iraq has lived through years of war, terrorism, political instability, foreign intervention, and competing centers of power. Nobody wants to see a confrontation between the Iraqi government and powerful armed factions that could potentially destabilize the country.
Dialogue is absolutely preferable to conflict.
But there is also a point where dialogue has to produce results.
Iraq has been discussing the issue of weapons outside state institutions for years. The terminology may change — “regulating,” “containing,” “managing,” or “organizing” weapons — but the fundamental question remains the same:
🇮🇶 Who has the final authority over weapons and decisions of war and peace inside Iraq?
A sovereign government cannot permanently operate alongside independent armed groups capable of acting outside the state's authority.
That is not simply an Iraqi political issue. It directly affects Iraq's sovereignty, security, relations with its neighbors, foreign investment, economic stability, and the credibility of its institutions.
And this is why September 30 matters.
It should not necessarily be viewed as a magical date when everything is suddenly solved.
Realistically, completely integrating or bringing armed factions under state authority could take time.
But there needs to be a clear roadmap.
There needs to be accountability.
There needs to be a defined chain of command.
And most importantly, there needs to be a clear understanding that the Iraqi government — not individual militias, political factions, or outside powers — ultimately controls the country's security decisions.
⚠️ THE BIG QUESTION: WHAT HAPPENS AFTER SEPTEMBER 30?
This is where I believe we need to pay close attention to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.
The government appears to be trying to walk a very difficult line.
On one side, Baghdad needs to demonstrate that it is serious about establishing state authority.
On the other side, moving too aggressively could provoke resistance from factions with significant military and political influence.
That is why the government's approach appears to be based on gradual integration and negotiation rather than immediate forced disarmament.
Strategically, that may be the more realistic path.
But there is a difference between moving carefully and simply postponing the problem.
And that distinction is going to be very important.
If September 30 arrives and the government establishes a credible framework with measurable steps, timelines, and enforcement mechanisms, that could represent genuine progress.
If September 30 arrives and we simply hear that the process will continue “gradually” with no clear deadlines, no concrete implementation, and no meaningful change on the ground...
Then we are essentially back where we started.
⏳ MORE TALKS.
⏳ MORE COMMITTEES.
⏳ MORE DELAYS.
And Iraq cannot remain in that cycle forever.
🇮🇶 WHY THIS MATTERS BEYOND POLITICS
A stronger and more unified Iraqi state would have implications far beyond the weapons issue.
Political stability creates a better environment for economic reforms.
Greater security strengthens investor confidence.
A functioning banking system becomes easier to develop.
Government institutions become more credible.
And Iraq becomes better positioned to determine its own economic and foreign-policy direction.
This is especially important as Iraq continues working on broader economic and financial reforms.
The country needs to demonstrate that its institutions are capable of making and enforcing decisions.
That doesn't mean everything has to happen overnight.
It means the direction has to be unmistakable.
🇮🇶 LET’S SEE WHAT AL ZAIDI DOES
At this point, I think the most important thing is to watch what Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi actually does with this opportunity.
Talking to the factions is one thing.
Getting them to accept a clear state-controlled framework is another.
And implementing that framework is where the real test begins.
Iraq needs stability, but stability cannot simply mean postponing difficult decisions indefinitely.
There comes a moment when the government has to say:
🇮🇶 The state is the state.
🇮🇶 The government is the government.
🇮🇶 And decisions of war and peace belong to the Iraqi state.
So yes, let's hope the negotiations succeed.
Let's hope this is handled peacefully.
Let's hope Iraq avoids another cycle of violence.
But let's also hope that “gradual” doesn't become another word for “not yet.”
Because Iraq has been waiting long enough.
👀 Now we watch.
September 30 could be an important turning point — not because everything will necessarily be finished that day, but because it may show us whether Iraq is finally moving toward a stronger, more unified state or simply preparing for another extension of the same unresolved issue.
🇮🇶🚨 The next move belongs to Baghdad.
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Iraq factions near weapons deal ahead of Sept. 30
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Talks between Iraq’s ruling Shiite Coordination Framework and armed factions are making progress toward bringing weapons under state control ahead of the Sept. 30 end of the US-led Coalition’s military mission, a political official told Shafaq News on Thursday.
Khalid Walid, a member of the political bureau of the Reconstruction and Development Coalition led by former PM Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, said a three-member committee comprising al-Sudani, former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki, and Badr Organization leader Hadi al-Amiri had held a series of meetings with factions in recent days.
He said the committee supports Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s efforts to bring weapons under state authority and is working under a mandate from the Coordination Framework and the State Administration Coalition, an alliance of political forces representing Iraq’s main communities.
Walid described the talks as positive and said Sept. 30 would mark an important stage in regulating weapons outside state institutions. After that date, he said, state institutions would move ahead with measures aimed at safeguarding Iraqi sovereignty, preventing attacks on neighboring countries from Iraqi territory and ensuring that decisions of war and peace remain under state authority.
Read more: Tension meets dialogue as Iraq approaches September 30
The committee believed dialogue could prevent escalation and ultimately resolve the issue without destabilizing Iraq, according to Walid. Al-Maliki and al-Amiri have favored describing the process as “regulating” or “containing” weapons rather than outright “disarmament,” terminology intended to ease resistance from armed factions. Shafaq News previously reported that Shiite leaders had proposed a “weapons management” formula under which the use of factional arms would fall under the authority of the commander-in-chief.
Several Iran-aligned groups, including Kataib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba and Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada, have resisted surrendering their weapons and linked any such move to the withdrawal of foreign troops and security guarantees against external attacks.
Read more: Iraq's disarmament deadline pits Baghdad against Iran-aligned factions
The State Administration Coalition has said armed activity outside official institutions after Sept. 30 could face action under Iraq’s Anti-Terrorism Law. However, National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji later clarified that Sept. 30 marks the end of the Coalition mission and that efforts to bring weapons under state control would continue gradually afterward.
https://www.shafaq.com/en/Iraq/Iraq-factions-near-weapons-deal-ahead-of-Sept-30