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FACTIONS ENTER “ULTIMATUM C” AFTER THE “LIBERATION OF IRAQ” PROJECT FROM IRAN
Following news of an “emergency government,” Al-Sudani speaks of conspiracies.
A “C-Warning” was issued to armed factions and groups in Iraq as tensions escalated between Tehran and Washington.
These groups have been conducting “evacuations” for months, according to informed sources, while their leaders have disappeared, even down to the third line.
The “factions” had completely halted their activities at the end of last November, with the truce between Israel and Hezbollah taking effect.
With the Pentagon sending additional reinforcements to the Middle East, including an aircraft carrier and a squadron of fighter jets, and the continued strikes on the Houthis and the threat to Iran, informed sources told Al-Mada that “the factions took the highest precautions in five years, following the killing of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of the Popular Mobilization Forces.”
The sources close to the armed groups added that the latter “took security measures for fear of being targeted in conjunction with expected strikes on Tehran.”
The sources explained that “first, second, and even third-line leaders took refuge in unknown locations as a precautionary measure.”
These groups, which are called the “Iraqi resistance,” have been adhering to “unprecedented” security measures since the “Pager” incident, which revealed Israel’s penetration of the Lebanese Hezbollah party before the killing of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, last September.
Outside the flock, the Friday Imam of Najaf, Sadr al-Din al-Qabanji
, threatened to target American bases in Iraq, against the backdrop of the recent escalation with Iran.
Al-Qabanji said in his Friday sermon: “We advise Trump not to rush into war or threaten war. We are ready to defend our religion and are certain that the gates of heaven have been opened to us.”
He added that “the American bases in Iraq are within range of Iranian artillery; indeed, they are within reach of the fists of Iraq’s youth, and no one can prevent them from doing so.”
About two months ago, the government began “faltering” negotiations with “four factions” that still do not comply with the instructions of the Popular Mobilization Authority, while Parliament is considering a law to “restructure the Popular Mobilization Forces” to prevent these groups from returning and dragging the country into war.
According to statements by the leader of the Hikma Movement, Ammar al-Hakim, “the armed factions are committed to not escalating against Washington to avoid embarrassing the government led by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.”
Some unknown armed groups appeared last month, following events in Syria and Yemen, such as the “Abbas Shield Forces Martyrdom” group, but quickly disappeared.
Factions or the Popular Mobilization Forces?!
A debate is raging in Iraq over the fate of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). Mithal al-Alusi, a former parliamentarian, believes that “there is no such thing as ‘factions’ in Washington,” and that Washington wants to “dissolve the PMF.”
However, Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the Badr Organization, said that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani “personally” denied to him circulating reports about the United States demanding the dissolution or integration of the PMF.
He added in his statements that “talk about the resistance and the PMF carries many allegations and lies,” considering that “the PMF is Iraq’s safety valve, and it is everyone’s duty to confront the lies.”
Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad, Mohammed Kazem Al-Sadiq, had previously said that US President Donald Trump’s letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei included a request to “dissolve the PMF and the armed factions.”
In response, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani responded to the Iranian ambassador’s statements by confirming that there was no US request to dissolve the Popular Mobilization Forces.
Subsequently, the Iranian ambassador retracted his statements, denying knowledge of the message’s content and saying he had analyzed the signals coming from Washington.
Liberate Iraq!
The US Senate is considering a bill introduced by Republican Senator Joe Wilson, which calls for the so-called “liberation of Iraq from Iran.” No Iraqi party has yet commented on the US proposal.
The provisions of the new bill are reminiscent of the previous “liberation of Iraq” from Saddam’s regime law, which was introduced in the Senate in 1998.
The text of the new law includes proposals and provisions requiring the US State Department and the US Treasury to develop a comprehensive 180-day strategy to reduce Iran’s influence in Iraq.
The provisions include proposals to dissolve the factions and the Popular Mobilization Forces and classify them as “terrorist organizations,” as well as the prosecution of major Iraqi political figures.
The bill imposes sanctions against 11 factions, in addition to 12 Iraqi political figures’ and includes a halt to US security assistance to Iraq until “the factions and those close to Iran are removed from state institutions.”
Crisis and Openness
These developments come amid reports circulating in political circles about the formation of a “crisis cell” or an “emergency government.” The government has not yet officially commented on this information.
In what appeared to be an indirect response to this news, Al-Sudani said during a meeting with a group of tribal sheikhs: “There are those who thrive on the rhetoric of sedition, crisis, and conspiracies, and we must pay attention to this matter, especially with the upcoming elections.”
He added, “Some emotional an” hasty voices wanted Iraq to go to war and conflict,” explaining that “the region witnessed exceptional circumstances, and the government’s biggest test was in how to deal with the crisis.”
Nouri al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law coalition, had spoken of “a danger surrounding the electoral process,” but said he would speak about it later.
In a video address regarding the elections, al-Maliki called on Iraqis “not to listen to anyone trying to dissuade them from participating in the upcoming elections.”
Al-Maliki spoke of “a danger surrounding the elections,” but said he would “address it later, and citizens must adhere to an agreement and contract to protect the electoral process and reject cases of manipulation and the spending of money to spoil it.
“ Contrary to the tensions between Baghdad and Washington, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s advisor for foreign affairs, Farhad Alaaldin, emphasized the existence of a “unique opportunity” for the two countries to deepen their strategic partnership.
This partnership, according to Alaaldin’s vision, expressed in an article published by the British newspaper The National, is no longer limited to traditional security cooperation, but rather extends to broader horizons of economic integration and the strengthening of regional security and long-term stability.
Alaaldin’s statements are supported by the upcoming visit of a large delegation of American companies to the Iraqi capital in the coming days.
This visit is expected to result in the signing of several memoranda of understanding and agreements between American companies and their Iraqi counterparts, which will enhance the volume of trade exchange and joint investments.
English (US) ·